View DLLs and executables in the Modules window (C#, C++, Visual Basic, F#)

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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

During Visual Studio debugging, the Modules window lists and shows information about the DLLs and executables (.exe files) your app uses.

Note

The Modules window is not available for SQL or script debugging.

Use the Modules window

To open the Modules window, while you're debugging, select Debug > Windows > Modules (or press Ctrl + Alt + U).

By default, the Modules window sorts modules by load order. To sort by any window column, select the header at the top of the column.

Load symbols

The Symbol Status column in the Modules window shows which modules have debugging symbols loaded. If the status is Skipped loading symbols, Cannot find or open the PDB file, or Loading disabled by include/exclude setting, you can load symbols manually. For more information about loading and using symbols, see Specify symbol (.pdb) and source files.

To load symbols manually:

  1. In the Modules window, right-click the module for which symbols haven't loaded.

    • Select Symbol Load Information for details about why the symbols didn't load.

    • Select Load Symbols to load the symbols manually.

  2. If the symbols don't load, select Symbol Settings to open the Options dialog, and specify or change symbol loading locations.

    You can download symbols from the public Microsoft Symbol Servers or other servers, or load symbols from a folder on your computer. For details, see Configure location of symbol files and loading behavior.

To change symbol loading behavior settings:

  1. In the Modules window, right-click any module.

  2. Select Symbol Settings.

  3. Select Load all symbols, or select which modules to include or exclude.

  4. Select OK. Changes take effect in the next debugging session.

To change symbol loading behavior for a specific module:

  1. In the Modules window, right-click the module.

  2. In the right-click menu, select or deselect Always Load Automatically. Changes take effect in the next debugging session.

See also