# CMake uses the wrong Visual Studio version

**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/cmake-uses-the-wrong-visual-studio-version/3333
**Category:** Usage
**Tags:** os:windows, comp:msvc
**Created:** [May 15, 2021, 9:35am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/cmake-uses-the-wrong-visual-studio-version/3333 "2021-05-15T09:35:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![nitawa](https://discourse.cmake.org/user_avatar/discourse.cmake.org/nitawa/32/1438_2.png) [@nitawa](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/nitawa)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2021, 9:35am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/cmake-uses-the-wrong-visual-studio-version/3333/1 "2021-05-15T09:35:38Z")

</div>

Hi,  
I do have Visual Studio 2017 and Visual Studio 2019 installed side by side on my workstation.  
To compile a third product used in my application, I used to do:

```auto
call "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\\Community\VC\Auxiliary\Build\vcvarsall.bat" x86
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE:STRING=Release -A Win32 -Thost=x64 -g "Visual Studio 16 2019" -DCMAKE_GENERATOR_INSTANCE:STRING="C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Community" ..

```

Unfortunately, in the cmake output log, I can see that there is something wrong, since cmake claims it is using Visual Studio 15 2017, while the C and C++ compilers match Visual Studio 2019.

```
-- Building for: **Visual Studio 15 2017**
-- The C compiler identification is **MSVC 19.16.27045.0**
-- The CXX compiler identification is MSVC 19.16.27045.0
-- Check for working C compiler: **C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio/2019/Community/VC/Tools/MSVC/14.16.27023/bin/HostX64/x86/cl.exe**
-- Check for working C compiler: C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio/2019/Community/VC/Tools/MSVC/14.16.27023/bin/HostX64/x86/cl.exe -- works
-- Detecting C compiler ABI info
-- Detecting C compiler ABI info - done
-- Detecting C compile features
-- Detecting C compile features - done
-- Check for working CXX compiler: C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio/2019/Community/VC/Tools/MSVC/14.16.27023/bin/HostX64/x86/cl.exe
-- Check for working CXX compiler: C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio/2019/Community/VC/Tools/MSVC/14.16.27023/bin/HostX64/x86/cl.exe -- works

```

Unfortunately, setting -DCMAKE\_GENERATOR\_INSTANCE to the Visual Studio 2019 did not help.  
Is this a known issue ?  
Thanks for your valuable feedback

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![anon45792294](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/a587f6/32.png) [@anon45792294](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/anon45792294)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2021, 12:55pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/cmake-uses-the-wrong-visual-studio-version/3333/2 "2021-05-15T12:55:17Z")

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I have no idea if `-g` is accepted.

The documentation is '-G`

[https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/manual/cmake.1.html?highlight=cmake%20cli#options](https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/manual/cmake.1.html?highlight=cmake%20cli#options)