How do I fix the Rust error "linker 'cc' not found" for Debian on Windows 10?

Question

I'm running Debian on Windows 10 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) and installed Rust using the command:

curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh

There were no errors in the install, but when I tried to compile with rustc I got the error linker 'cc' not found.

score 335 · Answer 1 · edited Sep 21 '18 at 14:36

335

The Linux Rust installer doesn't check for a compiler toolchain, but seems to assume that you've already got a C linker installed! The best solution is to install the tried-and-true gcc toolchain.

sudo apt install build-essential

If you need to target another architecture, install the appropriate toolchain and target the compilation as follows:

rustc --target=my_target_architecture -C linker=target_toolchain_linker my_rustfile.rs

edited Sep 21 '18 at 14:36

Boiethios

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answered Sep 21 '18 at 14:33

Thane Plummer

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4

Thanks! This worked for me. I had installed the Microsoft C++ tools as suggested, but that didn't work. I realized it was probably because I am running rustc in Ubuntu on Windows. – Taylor Fraley Apr 27 '19 at 13:54
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Same here. I was running it on WSL. – jedmao Sep 06 '19 at 04:42
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I had to install cmake on Ubuntu 20.04 WSL `sudo apt install cmake` – Maksymilian Mulawa May 03 '21 at 08:31
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You can configure the linker when choosing the target by adding this to a .config (in repo or workspace): e.g.: `[target.aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu] linker = "aarch64-linux-gcc"` – jaques-sam Apr 15 '22 at 08:45
Why do you need a C linker? – user2997204 Jan 16 '23 at 09:28
This solved it for me as well. Running wsl2 Ubuntu. – Eirik Lid Mar 14 '23 at 20:44
I had to run also `sudo apt install pkg-config` in order to solve the issue completely on WSL Ubuntu. Fortunately, cargo was very informative, and I was able to solve it quickly :) – Lorenzo Felletti Mar 20 '23 at 18:30
None of these suggestions have worked for me. Windows 11, WSL Ubuntu 22.04 – Alex Jul 22 '23 at 03:52

score 57 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 01 '21 at 19:07

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I ran the following 2 commands and it worked.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install build-essential

answered Jul 01 '21 at 19:07

Rahul Soshte

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Simple and clear. Worked for me. Thanks – Muhammad Tariq Aug 28 '22 at 05:47

score 50 · Answer 3 · edited Jul 08 '23 at 14:15

50

You have to install some dependencies

for Arch Linux: sudo pacman -S base-devel

for Ubuntu: sudo apt install build-essential

for Centos: sudo yum install gcc

for Solus: sudo eopkg it -c system.devel

edited Jul 08 '23 at 14:15

LeoDog896

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answered Mar 12 '21 at 11:22

naimjeem

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Question is regarding Windows Subsystem for Linux – Roger Collins Sep 04 '21 at 00:24
Answer may be, too, since WSL allows different Linux distribution to be installed. – Michael Piefel Apr 08 '23 at 20:15

score 25 · Answer 4 · answered Sep 17 '19 at 07:22

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Solution for CentOS:

yum -y install gcc

answered Sep 17 '19 at 07:22

Eugene Lebedev

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score 12 · Answer 5 · answered Jul 30 '22 at 15:54

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if u are on wsl2 - ubuntu try to update the pacakges with following cmds:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install build-essential

answered Jul 30 '22 at 15:54

The_Third_Eye

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score 7 · Answer 6 · answered Feb 08 '23 at 01:29

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I ran the following commands in wsl1, it worked

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt install build-essential

answered Feb 08 '23 at 01:29

grudev

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score 2 · Answer 7 · answered Feb 02 '20 at 00:32

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Solution for Solus:

sudo eopkg it -c system.devel

answered Feb 02 '20 at 00:32

Adam Lesniak

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score 1 · Answer 8 · answered Apr 24 '20 at 21:26

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Please do an "Update and Upgrade" before installing setup tools.

answered Apr 24 '20 at 21:26

Syenix

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score 1 · Answer 9 · edited Jul 27 '22 at 19:22

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You can fix this problem by adding build essential package in linux

sudo apt install -y build-essential

edited Jul 27 '22 at 19:22

Mansur Ul Hasan

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answered Jul 27 '22 at 08:29

arora

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score 1 · Answer 10 · answered May 20 '23 at 20:27

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It seems Rust assumes you already have a C compiler. For Fedora:

sudo dnf install gcc

answered May 20 '23 at 20:27

Gabriel Bento

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score 0 · Answer 11 · answered Sep 10 '22 at 05:43

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IF ABOVE IS NOT WORKING: cc is included in the "GCC" package. You need to uninstall GCC and then reinstall it if you have accidentally replaced or removed the cc binary.

answered Sep 10 '22 at 05:43

Poseidon

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How do I fix the Rust error "linker 'cc' not found" for Debian on Windows 10?

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