Setting Up Tauri 2 on Windows: Complete Installation Guide

Tauri is a framework for building lightweight, cross-platform desktop applications using web technologies and Rust. It lets you build native desktop apps with frontend frameworks such as React, Vue, Svelte, or vanilla JavaScript, while Rust handles native functionality.

This guide covers the complete setup process for Tauri 2.x on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

1. Prerequisites

Before creating a Tauri application, make sure the following are installed:

Component	Purpose
Node.js	JavaScript runtime
npm / Bun	Package management
Rust	Native application backend
Visual Studio C++ Build Tools	Native compilation
WebView2 Runtime	Web-based UI rendering
Git	Version control

Check Node.js:

node --version
npm --version

If Node.js isn’t installed, download it from nodejs.org. You can also use Bun if you prefer.

2. Install Rust

Tauri uses Rust for its native application layer. The recommended installation method on Windows is Rustup.

Using WinGet:

winget install --id Rustlang.Rustup --exact

If WinGet isn’t working, see Fixing WinGet on Windows for a separate troubleshooting guide. Alternatively, download the official installer from rustup.rs.

After installation, close and reopen your terminal, then verify:

rustup --version
rustc --version
cargo --version

3. Configure the MSVC toolchain

Tauri requires the MSVC toolchain for native Windows compilation.

Set the default Rust toolchain:

rustup default stable-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc

Verify the active configuration:

rustup show

You should see something similar to:

Default host: x86_64-pc-windows-msvc

installed toolchains
--------------------
stable-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc (active, default)

4. Install Visual Studio C++ Build Tools

Download Visual Studio Build Tools, run the installer, and select Desktop development with C++.

Make sure these components are included:

MSVC C++ Build Tools (v143 or newer)
Windows 10 SDK or Windows 11 SDK
C++ Build Tools core features

Complete the installation and restart your terminal. This toolchain is required to compile native Rust dependencies for Windows.

5. WebView2 Runtime

Tauri uses Microsoft Edge WebView2 to render its frontend interface. WebView2 is Chromium-based and lets desktop applications display HTML, CSS, and JavaScript inside native application windows.

Windows 11 generally includes WebView2 Runtime already, so check before downloading it:

Test-Path "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\Application"

If the directory exists, inspect its contents:

Get-ChildItem "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\Application" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

If WebView2 is missing, download the official Evergreen Standalone Installer for x64. Available options:

Evergreen Bootstrapper — downloads and installs the appropriate runtime.
Evergreen Standalone Installer — full offline-capable installer.
Fixed Version — packages a specific runtime version with an application.

For a typical Windows development environment, the Evergreen Runtime is recommended.

6. Create a new Tauri project

Once prerequisites are installed, create a new project:

npm create tauri-app@latest

Or with Bun:

bun create tauri-app

Follow the interactive setup to select your preferred frontend framework and package manager, then:

cd your-project-name
npm install
npm run tauri dev

Your Tauri desktop application should now launch.

7. Add Tauri to an existing Vite project

If you already have a Vite project, you don’t need to create a new one.

Install the Tauri CLI:

npm install -D @tauri-apps/cli@^2

Initialize Tauri:

npx tauri init

Configure the project according to your frontend setup, then start it:

npx tauri dev

8. Build the application

When development is complete, generate production builds:

npm run tauri build

Or with Bun:

bun run tauri build

Tauri writes distributable packages to src-tauri/target/release/bundle/. Depending on your configuration and enabled bundle targets, the output may include a Windows MSI installer and an NSIS EXE installer.

9. Final environment verification

Before starting development, verify the main components:

node --version
npm --version

rustup --version
rustc --version
cargo --version

rustup show

Also confirm that Visual Studio C++ Build Tools and WebView2 Runtime are available.

Common issues

Issue	Solution
`rustc is not recognized`	Reopen the terminal or check Rust PATH
`cargo is not recognized`	Verify the Rustup installation
MSVC linker errors	Install Visual Studio C++ Build Tools
WebView2 missing	Install the Evergreen WebView2 Runtime
WinGet search crashes	See the WinGet troubleshooting guide
Rust compilation fails	Check the MSVC toolchain and Windows SDK

Official documentation

Setting up Tauri on Windows takes a few system-level dependencies, but once Rust, MSVC Build Tools, and WebView2 are configured, the development workflow becomes straightforward. With Tauri 2, you can combine modern frontend technologies with Rust to build lightweight, native desktop applications for Windows and other platforms.