How can I set the environment variables to run a c++ programme from the command window when winsdk.bat fails to set WindowsSdkDir variables correctly?

Question

How can I set the environment variables to run a c++ programme from the command window when winsdk.bat fails to set WindowsSdkDir variables correctly?

Jon 20

When I run the VsDevCmd.bat file to configure a command window to allow me to compile C++ programs the following variables are NOT set:

WindowsSdkDir
WindowsSDKVersion
WindowsSDKBinPath
WindowsSDKVerBinPath

This is because VsDevCmd.bat calls winsdk.bat which attempts to set these variables by querying the registry. My permissions do not allow me to do this. I guess this is due to how the Group Policy has been set and which won't be changing anytime soon because of security concerns relating to accessing the registry.

In VsDevCmd the call to winsdk is made by "core_winsdk" at around L96.

In winsdk the registry query is made by "GetWin10SdkDirHelper" at around L87 and the query is as follows:

for /F "tokens=1,2*" %%i in ('reg query "%1\Microsoft\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v10.0" /v "InstallationFolder"') DO (

if "%%i"=="InstallationFolder" (

    SET WindowsSdkDir=%%~k

)

)

The version of VS / Build Tools I am using is:

Visual Studio 2022 Developer Command Prompt v17.14.18

Could someone please suggest an alternative means of setting the 4 WindowsSDK variables listed above?

Secondly, why on earth would the developer of these batch scripts choose this method? Even as an administrator I cannot setup the command window, this must affect virtually everyone trying to use Build Tools for C++.

Any help much appreciated.

RLWA32 51,361 Reputation points

2025-10-31T11:00:04.2033333+00:00

If Group Policy is preventing access to registry editing tools (e.g., reg.exe, regedit.exe) you may be able to work around the problem. Have a look at Raymond Chen's blog article "Misunderstanding the “Prevent access to registry editing tools” policy" at --

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20241001-22/?p=110330

The key takeaway point is "Since the policy check is performed voluntarily from reg.exe and regedit.exe, a dedicated end user could look for other ways to perform registry modifications, such as PowerShell scripting or downloading their own alternate registry editing tool. This policy is intended to block casual users from messing up their own machines. It is not a security boundary."

If you can otherwise programmatically query the registry then scripting or writing your own small application to replicate what the reg.exe command do could be an alternative.
Adiba Khan 1,440 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-11-04T10:03:36.6066667+00:00
Thank you for reaching out. Based on your description, the issue occurs because the WinSDK.bat script fails to correctly set the windows SDK environment variables -particularly WindowsSdkDir, Windows SdkVersion, WindowsSdkBinPath, and WindowsSdkLibPath.

This can happen if:

Registry access is restricted by group policy or by running in a non-administrator context.

Windows SDK registry key is missing or corrupted.

You are using build tools or Visual Studio developer command prompt without the proper environment initialized.

Recommended steps:

1.      verify windows SDK installation

Make sure the windows SDK is correctly installed. You can check it here:

Path:

C:\Program Files (x86) \Windows Kits\10\

If missing reinstall the latest SDK via Visual Studio installer:

·         Open Visual Studio installer

·         Select modify

·         Under individual components, ensure Windows 10 SDK or windows 11SDK is checked.

**2.      **Run developer command prompt as administrator

Sometimes registry queries fail due to permission. Please try:

·         Seach developer command prompt for VS 2022

·         Right click-> Run as Administrator

·         Then re-run your batch file:

VsDevCmd.bat

**3.      **Manually set SDK variables

If the script still fails, you can manually set the variables. Run the following commands in the same command window:

For /f “token=2,*” %A in (‘reg query “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SDKs\ Windows\v10.0” /v “InstallationFolder” 2^>nul’) do set “WindowsSdkDie=%B” For /f “token=2,*” %A in (‘reg query “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SDKs\ Windows\v10.0” /v “ProductVersion” 2^>nul’) do set “WindowsSdkVersion=%B” Set “WindowsSdkBinPath=%WindowsSdkDie%bin\%WindowsSdkVersion%” Set “WindowsSdkBinPath=%WindowsSdkDie%Lib\%WindowsSdkVersion%”

Then confirm:

Echo %WindowSdkDir% Echo %WindowsSdkVersion%

**4.      **Check for group policy restrictions

If the script still fails to access the registry, verify the following group policy setting:

·         Open gpedit.msc

·         Navigate to : Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System

·         Ensure “Prevent access to the registry editing tools” is disabled.

**5.      **Use a clean environment(optional)

if you are on a restricted or custom build machine, try using developer PowerShell for VS 2022, which automatically loads SDK end compiler paths:

PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -NoExit -Command “& ‘C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\BuildTools\Common7\Tools\VsDevCmd.bat’”

References:

·         Use the Microsoft C++ toolset from the command line | Microsoft Learn

·         Windows Media Format 11 SDK - Win32 apps | Microsoft Learn

Please let us know if you require any further assistance we’re happy to help. If you found this information useful, kindly mark this as "Accept Answer".
Adiba Khan 1,440 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-11-07T11:16:26.1266667+00:00

"Hope you're doing well. We're following up on the ticket. Please let us know before 13 november whether the issue persists or has been resolved, after that we'll close this thread and If the issue has been resolved, kindly mark the response as answered."
Jon 20 Reputation points

2025-11-07T21:03:44.71+00:00
Hi Adiba. Many thanks for getting back to me and for suggesting those solutions. Let me address them one by one, please bear in mind that I am no expert, so my responses could be incorrect, although I believe that they are right (if you see what I mean).

Access to the registry is restricted both as "Administrator" (I've not been given full rights) or as "normal" user, I think this is due to the GP, as you state.

Windows SDK registry missing / corrupted. I don't think so, I've reinstalled VS or Build Tools (we have a mixture of set ups on different machines). Also, our hard coded fix is working which suggests the registry is now fine.

Environment incorrectly initialised - this is the problem and is due to winsdk.bat not being able to execute the registry query because of the GP.

Running developed command prompt as administrator. This does not cure the problem, the GP is still a problem, also, don't want to have to run as administrator in this scenario.

Manually set SDK variables. This is what we are doing, but they are hard coded in as access to "reg query" is blocked by the GP.

I do not have permission to either view / change my registry editing permissions, this feature is blocked.

I tried your PowerShell command, but it didn't seem to work, although it does look more promising than "reg query".
RLWA32 51,361 Reputation points

2025-11-07T21:48:57.93+00:00

Have you tried using powershell's cmdlets to obtain registry information? https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/samples/working-with-registry-entries?view=powershell-7.5
Jon 20 Reputation points

2025-11-10T13:27:12.15+00:00

Accepted.

We have decided to use the hard code solution, for now, but thanks for the other suggestions. Also, it would be useful to know if Group Policy can be amended to allow the registry to be queried, but not altered.
Adiba Khan 1,440 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-11-11T06:01:48.18+00:00

Thank you for your response.

I truly appreciate that you’ve taken the time to understand the issue thoroughly. It means a lot. I kindly ask if you feel the answer has addressed your concern please consider accepting the answer it as the confirmed information. Doing so helps the system recognize that the topic has been confirmed, and it provides a valuable reference for other users who may encounter similar questions in the future. It also contributes to building a stronger community and helps increase your reputation score on the platform.

Thank you again for your engagement and support!

Best regards,
Jon 20 Reputation points

2025-11-11T09:07:32.27+00:00

Hi RLWA32. Thanks for this comment and your mention of PowerShell cmdlets, I will investigate. For now, I am going to go with the hard code solution suggested by Adiba.
Jon 20 Reputation points

2025-11-11T09:12:12.64+00:00

Hi Adiba, I can see an "Accept Answer" button, but it relates to your first answer rather than the "hard coded" solution you provided later, i.e. the one immediately above this comment. Can you move the button? If not, I can accept the answer. Thanks.
Adiba Khan 1,440 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-11-11T12:14:31.4266667+00:00

I won’t be able to move the “Accept Answer” button— it’s automatically tied to the first response in the thread. The platform doesn’t allow re‑assigning it to a later reply. If the later solution is the one that resolved your issue, the best option is simply to mark the original answer as accepted and, if you’d like, add a comment noting that the follow‑up contained the final fix. That way the thread is closed properly, and future readers can still see the full context.
RLWA32 51,361 Reputation points

2025-11-11T13:14:46.1833333+00:00

@Adiba Khan, If you are able to convert your first Answer to a Comment perhaps the Questioner can accept the desired response.
Adiba Khan 1,440 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-11-12T05:48:25.4233333+00:00

The comment has been duly converted into an answer, and I respectfully request your acceptance

Answer accepted by question author

0 additional answers

Your answer

RLWA32 51,361 Reputation points

2025-10-31T11:00:04.2033333+00:00

If Group Policy is preventing access to registry editing tools (e.g., reg.exe, regedit.exe) you may be able to work around the problem. Have a look at Raymond Chen's blog article "Misunderstanding the “Prevent access to registry editing tools” policy" at --

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20241001-22/?p=110330

The key takeaway point is "Since the policy check is performed voluntarily from reg.exe and regedit.exe, a dedicated end user could look for other ways to perform registry modifications, such as PowerShell scripting or downloading their own alternate registry editing tool. This policy is intended to block casual users from messing up their own machines. It is not a security boundary."

If you can otherwise programmatically query the registry then scripting or writing your own small application to replicate what the reg.exe command do could be an alternative.
Adiba Khan 1,440 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-11-07T11:16:26.1266667+00:00

"Hope you're doing well. We're following up on the ticket. Please let us know before 13 november whether the issue persists or has been resolved, after that we'll close this thread and If the issue has been resolved, kindly mark the response as answered."
Jon 20 Reputation points

2025-11-07T21:03:44.71+00:00

Hi Adiba. Many thanks for getting back to me and for suggesting those solutions. Let me address them one by one, please bear in mind that I am no expert, so my responses could be incorrect, although I believe that they are right (if you see what I mean).

Access to the registry is restricted both as "Administrator" (I've not been given full rights) or as "normal" user, I think this is due to the GP, as you state.

Windows SDK registry missing / corrupted. I don't think so, I've reinstalled VS or Build Tools (we have a mixture of set ups on different machines). Also, our hard coded fix is working which suggests the registry is now fine.

Environment incorrectly initialised - this is the problem and is due to winsdk.bat not being able to execute the registry query because of the GP.

Running developed command prompt as administrator. This does not cure the problem, the GP is still a problem, also, don't want to have to run as administrator in this scenario.

Manually set SDK variables. This is what we are doing, but they are hard coded in as access to "reg query" is blocked by the GP.

I do not have permission to either view / change my registry editing permissions, this feature is blocked.

I tried your PowerShell command, but it didn't seem to work, although it does look more promising than "reg query".
RLWA32 51,361 Reputation points

2025-11-07T21:48:57.93+00:00

Have you tried using powershell's cmdlets to obtain registry information? https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/scripting/samples/working-with-registry-entries?view=powershell-7.5
Jon 20 Reputation points

2025-11-10T13:27:12.15+00:00

Accepted.

We have decided to use the hard code solution, for now, but thanks for the other suggestions. Also, it would be useful to know if Group Policy can be amended to allow the registry to be queried, but not altered.
Adiba Khan 1,440 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-11-11T06:01:48.18+00:00

Thank you for your response.

I truly appreciate that you’ve taken the time to understand the issue thoroughly. It means a lot. I kindly ask if you feel the answer has addressed your concern please consider accepting the answer it as the confirmed information. Doing so helps the system recognize that the topic has been confirmed, and it provides a valuable reference for other users who may encounter similar questions in the future. It also contributes to building a stronger community and helps increase your reputation score on the platform.

Thank you again for your engagement and support!

Best regards,
Jon 20 Reputation points

2025-11-11T09:07:32.27+00:00

Hi RLWA32. Thanks for this comment and your mention of PowerShell cmdlets, I will investigate. For now, I am going to go with the hard code solution suggested by Adiba.
Jon 20 Reputation points

2025-11-11T09:12:12.64+00:00

Hi Adiba, I can see an "Accept Answer" button, but it relates to your first answer rather than the "hard coded" solution you provided later, i.e. the one immediately above this comment. Can you move the button? If not, I can accept the answer. Thanks.
Adiba Khan 1,440 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-11-11T12:14:31.4266667+00:00

I won’t be able to move the “Accept Answer” button— it’s automatically tied to the first response in the thread. The platform doesn’t allow re‑assigning it to a later reply. If the later solution is the one that resolved your issue, the best option is simply to mark the original answer as accepted and, if you’d like, add a comment noting that the follow‑up contained the final fix. That way the thread is closed properly, and future readers can still see the full context.
RLWA32 51,361 Reputation points

2025-11-11T13:14:46.1833333+00:00

@Adiba Khan, If you are able to convert your first Answer to a Comment perhaps the Questioner can accept the desired response.
Adiba Khan 1,440 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-11-12T05:48:25.4233333+00:00

The comment has been duly converted into an answer, and I respectfully request your acceptance

Answer 1

Thank you for the detailed follow up and for confirming your findings. Based on your explanation, the issue Indeed appears to be caused by group policy restrictions that prevent the winsdk.bat file from executing the registry query (reg query ) command.

Since you do not have permission to modify registry access or run with elevated privileges, the recommended approach is to bypass registry dependency by using static or preconfigured SDK paths without requiring reg query.

Recommended workarounds

**1. **manually defines SDK paths in a custom script

central registry cannot be queried in your environment; you can define the required SDK variables manually in a separate batch file and run it before building your C++ project.

For example, create a file named SetWindowsSDKEnv.bat with the following contents:

@echo off
Rem ---- Manually configure Windows SDK paths ----
Set “WIndowsSdkDir-C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10”
Set “WindowsSdkVersions=10.0.22621.0”
Set “WindowsSdkBinPath=%WindowsSdkDir%Bin\%WindowsSdkVersion%”
Set “WindowsSdkLibPath=%WindowsSdkDir%Lib\%WindowsSdkVersion%”
Set “WindowsSdkIncludePath=%WindowsSdkDir%Include\%WindowsSdkVersion%”
Echo Windows SDK environment configured successfully.

Update the WindowsSdkVersion to match the version install on your system. You can find this by checking the folder name inside C:\Program Files (x86)\ WindowsKits\10\Include.

Then run:

Call SetWIndowSDKEnv.bit

Before running your build commands.

This ensured your SDK variables are correctly initialized without needing registry access.

**2. **User pre initialized build environment

If we are organization uses build agents or CI/CD systems. You can predefine these environment variables at the system level:

open system properties -> advanced-> environment variables
under system variables, click new and add same 4 variables: o WindowsSdkDir o WindowsSdkVersion o WindowsSdkBinPath o WindowsSdkLibPath
Save and restart your shell or build environment.

This method ensures all users/machines have consistent SDK paths without modifying registry access.

**3. **Avoid dependency on winsdk.bat

you can also invoke the compiler directly using the Visual Studio build tools vcvarsall.bat (which does not rely on reg query for SDK detection):

Example:

Call “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\BuildTools\VS\Auxiliary\Build\vcvarsall.bat” x64

Then manually ensure SDK paths are defined as above.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/build/building-on-command-line

Why this happens

The group policy setting prevent access to registry editing tools or restricted HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SDKs\Windows registry access prevents scripts from reading SDK locations. Winsdk.bat internally relies on these registry keys to set the correct variables.

Since you confirmed the policy cannot be changed, the static variable configuration is the correct long-term workaround.

Please let us know if you require any further assistance we’re happy to help. If you found this information useful, kindly mark this as "Accept Answer".

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How can I set the environment variables to run a c++ programme from the command window when winsdk.bat fails to set WindowsSdkDir variables correctly?

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