Which VisualStudio Component versions to install for the windows-11-arm runner?

[Avasam]

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Discussion Details

In actions/runner-images#9873, a workaround of installing Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.14.29.16.11.ATL was provided to avoid issues of atlbase.h missing following actions/runner-images#9701.

It works fine for the windows-2022 runner.
However I'm still getting fatal error C1083: Cannot open include file: 'atlbase.h': No such file or directory when running under windows-11-arm, despite installing Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.14.29.16.11.ATL and/or Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.14.29.16.11.ATL.ARM64.
Is 14.29.16.11 maybe not the version I'm looking for? How do I know which version I should use on which runner?

[hammadx02]

The ATL component version 14.29.16.11 works on windows-2022 (x64), but windows-11-arm runners need the ARM64-specific ATL binaries.

Check this: Ensure you’re adding Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.ATL.ARM64 explicitly, not just VC.ATL.

Version mismatch? The version 14.29.x may still point to x86/x64 binaries. ARM builds sometimes need newer toolchain releases (e.g., v143 toolset with ARM64 targeting).

Solution: Use the Visual Studio Installer CLI to verify ARM64 components are properly installed:

vs_installer.exe modify --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.ATL.ARM64
Then, clear your build cache and try again.

If the runner image lacks proper support, consider a self-hosted ARM64 runner with a fully configured VS toolchain.

[muhammad-danial-malik]

You're encountering this issue because the ATL component version 14.29.16.11 was built primarily for x86/x64 targets and doesn't fully support ARM64 environments — even when installing Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.14.29.16.11.ATL.ARM64.

✅ Recommended Steps:

1. Install the ARM64-specific ATL components explicitly:

  vs_installer.exe modify --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.ATL.ARM64

⚠️ Make sure you're using a Visual Studio toolchain that includes ARM64 targeting support (e.g., v143 with MSVC ARM64).

2. Verify installed components on the runner:
   Add this to your GitHub Actions workflow to list all Visual Studio components:

   - name: List installed VS components
     run: vswhere.exe -all -products * -format json

3. Check the installed MSVC version:
   Your ATL version must match the version of MSVC used in the runner. A mismatch will cause headers like atlbase.h to be missing.

4. Clear your build cache and retry:
   Sometimes old binaries or stale caches can block correct detection of newly installed components.

[MuhammadTanveerAbbas]

14.29.16.11 ATL version works for windows-2022 but likely not for windows-11-arm because the runner uses a different Visual Studio version. Check which VS version is on the ARM runner and install the matching ATL component version. The ARM runner may need a newer or different ATL package.

[Unik69420]

The ATL version 14.29.16.11 works on windows-2022 but may not be available or compatible on windows-11-arm. To find the right version, use vswhere on the runner to check installed components or check the actions/runner-images repo for supported versions.