If you're on macOS or Linux, skip to the lesson for your system — this one's Windows-only.

The recommended path: WSL

WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) lets you run a real Linux environment inside Windows, side by side with everything you already have. It's the path Microsoft's own documentation recommends for C++ development on Windows, and it means every command and tool in this whole module works exactly as written, with no Windows-specific quirks to translate.

Step 1: Install WSL

Open PowerShell as Administrator (right-click the Start button, choose "Terminal (Admin)" or "Windows PowerShell (Admin)") and run:

wsl --install

This installs WSL along with Ubuntu, a popular Linux distribution. Restart your computer when it asks you to.

Step 2: Finish Ubuntu setup

After restarting, Ubuntu should open automatically (if not, search for "Ubuntu" in the Start menu). The first time it runs, it'll ask you to create a username and password for this Linux environment — these can be anything, and don't need to match your Windows login. You won't see the password as you type it; that's normal, just type it and press Enter.

Step 3: Install the compiler and tools

You're now looking at a Linux terminal, running inside Windows. Run these two commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential gdb

sudo runs a command with administrator privileges — it'll ask for the password you just created. build-essential is a bundle that includes g++ (the compiler this whole curriculum uses) along with the other basic tools a C++ project needs. gdb is a debugger you'll use later in the curriculum.

Step 4: Confirm it worked

g++ --version

You should see a version number printed (this curriculum assumes a reasonably recent version — anything from the last few years is fine). If you see g++: command not found instead, the install didn't complete — scroll back up and re-run Step 3.

Working with your files

WSL has its own Linux filesystem, separate from your normal C:\ drive. For this course, create a folder for your work inside WSL itself:

mkdir ~/cpp-course
cd ~/cpp-course

You'll come back to this folder (or one like it) every lesson. ~ means "my home folder" — you can type it instead of a long path.

Checkpoint

• WSL gives you a real Linux environment inside Windows — the recommended way to do C++ development on Windows.
• wsl --install sets it up; a restart and a one-time Ubuntu username/password follow.
• sudo apt install build-essential gdb installs the compiler and debugger.
• g++ --version confirms it worked.
• Next up: installing VS Code and connecting it to this WSL environment.