How to: Start Spy++

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Applies to: yesVisual Studio noVisual Studio for Mac

Note

This article applies to Visual Studio 2017. If you're looking for the latest Visual Studio documentation, see Visual Studio documentation. We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Visual Studio. Download it here

You can start Spy++ either from Visual Studio or at a command prompt.

When you start Spy++, if a message is displayed to ask permission to make changes to the computer, select Yes.

Note

You can run only one instance of Spy++. If you try to start a second instance, it just causes the currently running instance to get the focus.

Prerequisites

Spy++ requires the following components. You can select these components from the Visual Studio Installer by selecting the Individual Components tab, and then selecting the following components.

  • Under Debugging and testing, select C++ profiling tools
  • Under Development activities, select C++ core features

If you made any changes, follow the prompts to install these components.

Start Spy++ from Visual Studio

On the Tools menu, select Spy++.

Because Spy++ runs independently, after you start it you can close Visual Studio.

Note

When you log messages with Spy++, it may cause the operating system to perform more slowly.

Start Spy++ at a command prompt

  1. In a Command Prompt window, change directories to the folder that contains spyxx.exe. Typically, the path to this folder is ..\Visual Studio installation folder\Common7\Tools\.

  2. Enter spyxx.exe.

See also