# Windows

Building for Windows allows you to distribute your Digital Twin as a standalone executable that runs on Windows machines without requiring Unity Editor or any special licenses.

## Build Settings

To build for Windows, select **Windows** as the target platform in Build Settings (`File > Build Settings...`).

## Player Settings

For building on Windows, the following settings are recommended in Player Settings.

### Scripting Backend

Mono compiles much faster than IL2CPP and is recommended for most Windows builds.

<figure><img src="/files/2z5DdwjwHRcXZMXL4SQc" alt=""><figcaption><p>Mono and .Net Framework player build settings</p></figcaption></figure>

### Scripting Define Symbols

Please also make sure that Scripting Define Symbols are set as needed for your installation (see [Compiler Defines](/advanced-topics/compiler-defines.md)).

<figure><img src="/files/VYmVWF1FiXlRSMd5goB9" alt=""><figcaption><p>Scripting Define Symbols configuration</p></figcaption></figure>

## Build Process

1. Open **File > Build Settings**
2. Select **Windows** as the target platform
3. Click **Add Open Scenes** to include your Digital Twin scene
4. Configure Player Settings as described above
5. Click **Build** and choose your destination folder
6. Unity will create an executable and data folder

## Distribution

After building, you will have:

* **YourProjectName.exe** - The executable file
* **YourProjectName\_Data** folder - Required data and assets
* **UnityPlayer.dll** and other DLL files - Required Unity runtime libraries

Distribute all files together. The executable requires the data folder and DLLs to run properly.

## Performance Considerations

* **Mono vs IL2CPP**: Mono compiles faster and has similar runtime performance for most scenarios
* **Graphics API**: Windows supports DirectX 11 and DirectX 12
* **Architecture**: Target x86\_64 for modern 64-bit Windows systems
* **Optimization**: Use IL2CPP for production builds if startup time is not critical

## Interface Support

Windows builds support all realvirtual interfaces including:

* OPC-UA
* S7 TCP/IP
* Modbus
* TwinCAT ADS
* MQTT
* Shared Memory
* And all other platform-specific interfaces

For interface limitations on other platforms, see [Supported Platforms](/advanced-topics/supported-platforms.md).

## See Also

* [WebGL Publishing](/basics/publishing-the-digital-twin/webgl.md) - Browser-based deployment
* [Supported Platforms](/advanced-topics/supported-platforms.md) - Platform compatibility matrix
* [Compiler Defines](/advanced-topics/compiler-defines.md) - Configuration symbols

© 2025 realvirtual GmbH [https://realvirtual.io](https://realvirtual.io/) - All rights reserved.


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