Follow these steps to get the MFC libraries on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC.
For over three decades, the has been a cornerstone of native Windows desktop application development. If you are maintaining legacy enterprise software, modernizing an old tool, or simply learning how classic Windows applications like Paint or File Explorer clones are built, you will eventually need to get MFC installed on your machine.
To confirm MFC is ready, open Visual Studio and create a new project: microsoft foundation class library download
The method of "downloading" MFC has changed drastically over the years. In the era of Visual Studio 6.0, MFC was a central, almost unavoidable part of the installation. As the .NET Framework gained prominence, MFC was moved to the periphery. Today, MFC is not a standalone package that one simply downloads as a separate executable from a web page. Instead, it is tightly integrated into the Microsoft Visual Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE).
: Open the Visual Studio Installer , select "Modify," and under the "Desktop development with C++" workload, check the box for "C++ MFC for latest v143 build tools" . Follow these steps to get the MFC libraries
modern C++ alternatives for building Windows desktop applications? AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses Copy Creating a public link... You can now share this thread with others Good response Bad response 15 sites Microsoft Foundation Class Library - Wikipedia Microsoft Foundation Class Library (MFC) is a C++ object-oriented library for developing desktop applications for Windows. ... MFC... Wikipedia Microsoft Foundation Class Library - Wikipedia Microsoft Foundation Class Library. ... This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this arti... Wikipedia How do I get MFC into Visual Studios? - Microsoft Q&A Dec 11, 2025 —
The is more than just a download; it’s a living artifact of software history. Born in 1992 , it was designed to bridge the gap between the raw power of the C-based Windows API and the emerging world of object-oriented programming. The Dawn of "Afx" (1992) To confirm MFC is ready, open Visual Studio
(the version number may vary). C++ ATL support (MFC often depends on ATL).