Window Install Opencv

Building OpenCV on Windows from Source Code using MSYS2 UCRT64 and VS Code (C++) {#tutorial_windows_msys2_vscode}


Original author	Mahadev Kumar
Compatibility	OpenCV >= 4.x

@tableofcontents

@note This tutorial was tested on Windows >= 7 using the MSYS2 UCRT64 environment. @note The OpenCV team does not maintain MSYS/Cygwin configuration and does not regularly test it with continuous integration.

Introduction {#tutorial_windows_msys2_install_intro}

This tutorial explains how to build OpenCV from source on Windows using the MSYS2 UCRT64 toolchain and use it inside Visual Studio Code with C++.

The build configuration uses:

MSYS2 (UCRT64 shell)
GCC (UCRT toolchain)
CMake
mingw32-make
VS Code

This method produces native Windows binaries linked against the Universal C Runtime (UCRT).

Prerequisites {#tutorial_windows_install_msys2_prerequisites}

Install the following software before proceeding:

After installing MSYS2, always open the:

MSYS2 UCRT64 Terminal

@note Do not use the MSYS, MinGW64, or CLANG64 shells for this build.

Step 1: Update MSYS2 {#tutorial_windows_msys2_install_update}

Open the MSYS2 UCRT64 terminal and update the system.

@code{.bash} pacman -Syu @endcode

Restart the terminal if prompted.

Step 2: Install Required Packages {#tutorial_windows_msys2_install_packages}

Install the required compiler and build tools.

@code{.bash} pacman -S mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-gcc
mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-cmake
mingw-w64-ucrt-x86_64-make @endcode

Verify installation:

@code{.bash} gcc --version cmake --version mingw32-make --version @endcode

@note Add the following directory to your Windows PATH: @code{.bash} C:\msys64\ucrt64\bin @endcode

Step 3: Clone OpenCV Source Code {#tutorial_windows_msys2_install_clone}

Clone OpenCV and optional contrib modules.

@code{.bash} git clone https://github.com/opencv/opencv.git git clone https://github.com/opencv/opencv_contrib.git @endcode

Step 4: Create Build Directory {#tutorial_windows_msys2_install_build_dir}

@code{.bash} cd opencv mkdir build cd build @endcode

Step 5: Configure the Build with CMake {#tutorial_windows_msys2_install_configure}

Run CMake using the MinGW Makefiles generator.

@code{.bash} cmake -G "MinGW Makefiles" ../ @endcode

@note If you do not want to use opencv_contrib, remove the OPENCV_EXTRA_MODULES_PATH option.

Step 6: Build OpenCV {#tutorial_windows_msys2_install_build}

Compile OpenCV.

@code{.bash} mingw32-make -j6 @endcode

@note If the build fails due to memory limitations, reduce the job count.

Example:

@code{.bash} mingw32-make -j4 @endcode

Step 7: Install OpenCV {#tutorial_windows_msys2_install_install}

Install the compiled libraries.

@code{.bash} mingw32-make install @endcode

After installation, OpenCV will be located in: opencv/build/install

Add the following directory to your Windows PATH: @code{.bash} C:\path\to\opencv\build\install\x64\mingw\bin @endcode

Step 8: Verify with a C++ Example {#tutorial_windows_msys2_install_verify}

Create a folder outside the OpenCV source directory. Example: first-project
Inside the folder create main.cpp

@code{.cpp} #include <opencv2/opencv.hpp> #include

int main() { std::cout << "OpenCV Version: " << CV_VERSION << std::endl;

cv::Mat img = cv::Mat::zeros(400, 400, CV_8UC3);

cv::imshow("OpenCV Test", img);
cv::waitKey(0);

return 0;

} @endcode

Create CMakeLists.txt

@code{.cmake} cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.10)

project(OpenCVApp)

set(OpenCV_DIR "C:/path/to/opencv/build/install/lib/cmake/opencv4")

find_package(OpenCV REQUIRED)

add_executable(app main.cpp)

target_link_libraries(app ${OpenCV_LIBS}) @endcode

Build the project.

@code{.bash} mkdir build && cd build cmake -G "MinGW Makefiles" .. mingw32-make @endcode

Run the program.

@code{.bash} ./app.exe @endcode

@note If everything is configured correctly, a window should appear displaying a blank image.

Using OpenCV in Visual Studio Code {#tutorial_windows_msys2_vscode_section}

Install the following extensions in VS Code:

C/C++
CMake Tools

Open your project folder in VS Code.

Configure the project using CMake.

@code{.bash} cmake -G "MinGW Makefiles" .. @endcode

Build the project.

@code{.bash} mingw32-make @endcode

Run the executable.

Troubleshooting {#tutorial_windows_msys2_install_troubleshoot}

CMake cannot find OpenCV

Ensure that OpenCV_DIR is set correctly.

Example:

@code{.cmake} set(OpenCV_DIR "C:/path/to/opencv/build/install/lib/cmake/opencv4") @endcode

mingw32-make not found

Make sure the following path is added to the Windows environment variable PATH: C:\msys64\ucrt64\bin

Build fails due to memory limits

Reduce parallel build jobs.

@code{.bash} mingw32-make -j2 @endcode

Conclusion

You have successfully built OpenCV from source using MSYS2 UCRT64 and verified it with a C++ project in VS Code.

This setup allows you to develop OpenCV-based C++ applications using a fully open-source toolchain on Windows.