Basic installing process follow: https://doc.nektar.info/userguide/latest/user-guidese3.html#x7-60001.3 details I would like to add: 1. download git for command prompt in command prompt, using winget: winget install --id Git.Git -e --source winget or download git from website: https://gitforwindows.org/ 2. obtain the source code in command prompt: git clone https://gitlab.nektar.info/nektar/nektar.git nektar++ (don't need to unzip! there is no zip file! the file you downloaded is the file you need!) 3. windows command prompt Call Visual Studio 2019 Community (do not use Visual Studio 2022!): call "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Community\Common7\Tools\VsDevCmd.bat" -arch=x64 Assuming the configuration completes successfully and you see the message Build files have been written to: ..., you should now be ready to issue the build command: msbuild INSTALL.vcxproj /p:Configuration=Release 4. serch for zlib.dll in the nektar++ file and place the 84kb one into C:\Windows\System32 to make sure the test "ctest -C Release" could pass, without this, the test would all fail. 5. run the test in command prompt and hope it passes: ctest -C Release