# How do I specify different binaries to link against for Visual Studio debug and release, but be able to select either
**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-do-i-specify-different-binaries-to-link-against-for-visual-studio-debug-and-release-but-be-able-to-select-either/2026
**Category:** Usage
**Created:** [October 19, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-do-i-specify-different-binaries-to-link-against-for-visual-studio-debug-and-release-but-be-able-to-select-either/2026 "2020-10-19T21:34:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@imlost](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/imlost)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-do-i-specify-different-binaries-to-link-against-for-visual-studio-debug-and-release-but-be-able-to-select-either/2026/1 "2020-10-19T21:34:43Z")
How do I specify in CMAKE that binary file A is for debug and B is for release when linking, but in such a way I can still toggle between the two in VS and not have to do cmake … each time I need to switch between the two.
---
### Author:  [@anon45792294](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/anon45792294)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2020, 4:56am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-do-i-specify-different-binaries-to-link-against-for-visual-studio-debug-and-release-but-be-able-to-select-either/2026/2 "2020-10-20T04:56:11Z")
What do you mean by binaries?
Do you mean targets or system libraries?
---
### Author:  [@Angew](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/Angew)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2020, 7:31am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-do-i-specify-different-binaries-to-link-against-for-visual-studio-debug-and-release-but-be-able-to-select-either/2026/3 "2020-10-20T07:31:25Z")
```
target_link_libraries(consumer debug A optimized B)
```
See [relevant docs](https://cmake.org/cmake/help/latest/command/target_link_libraries.html?highlight=optimized).
---
### Author:  [@anon45792294](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/anon45792294)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2020, 7:36am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-do-i-specify-different-binaries-to-link-against-for-visual-studio-debug-and-release-but-be-able-to-select-either/2026/4 "2020-10-20T07:36:35Z")
This is the same thing with generator expressions and using PRIVATE to hide the dependencies.
```auto
target_link_libraries(foo PRIVATE
$<$:
bar
>
$<$:
yo
>
)
```
---
### Author:  [@Angew](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/Angew)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2020, 7:50am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-do-i-specify-different-binaries-to-link-against-for-visual-studio-debug-and-release-but-be-able-to-select-either/2026/5 "2020-10-20T07:50:39Z")
Are you sure the genex will survive the line breaks?
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### Author:  [@anon45792294](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/anon45792294)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2020, 7:52am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-do-i-specify-different-binaries-to-link-against-for-visual-studio-debug-and-release-but-be-able-to-select-either/2026/6 "2020-10-20T07:52:34Z")
I have similar code in my own project.
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### Author:  [@imlost](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/imlost)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-do-i-specify-different-binaries-to-link-against-for-visual-studio-debug-and-release-but-be-able-to-select-either/2026/7 "2020-10-20T17:27:29Z")
😛 should have known it was just a parameter in target\_link\_libraries. Was thinking I had to put in a special logic block specifying it as for release. Thanks guys.
---
### Author:  [@anon45792294](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/anon45792294)
#### Post date: [October 21, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/how-do-i-specify-different-binaries-to-link-against-for-visual-studio-debug-and-release-but-be-able-to-select-either/2026/8 "2020-10-21T16:22:25Z")
No problem just make sure to mark the question as answered.