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+---
+title: "Distributing a GTK App for Windows"
+date: 2023-01-02T18:01:23+05:30
+---
+
+# Setting up msys2
+
+## Installation using chocolatey
+
+You need to install msys2 before you can start developing on windows. 
+The easiest way to set it up is to use the [chocolatey package manager](https://chocolatey.org).
+
+If you don't already have choco installed, just follow the installation instructions on <https://chocolatey.org/install> then run
+
+``` fish
+choco install msys2
+```
+
+After msys2 is set up, open a new (non-administrator) powershell window, and in that run msys2
+
+## Installing necessary packages
+
+``` fish
+sudo pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-gtk3 mingw-w64-x86_64-toolchain base-devel glib2-devel
+```
+
+Refer to the installation instructions on GTK's website on which other packages you might need.
+I believe this is enough to get started.
+
+# Compiling your app
+
+Now, clone your project's repository and build the app as you normally would on linux and place the executable in the `bin` 
+directory inside your installation directory. Use the ldd command (`ldd bin/MyApp.exe`) to list the necessary DLLs required 
+by your app and copy all the DLLs starting with `"/mingw"` to the `bin` directory. This script automatically does that:
+
+``` fish
+ldd bin/MyApp.exe | grep '\/mingw.*\.dll' -o | xargs -I{} cp "{}" ./bin
+```
+
+Credit goes to <https://stackoverflow.com/a/50130668>; Replace MyApp.exe with your executable's name.
+
+# Adding other required files
+
+## Icon Theme
+
+Create a directory for the icon theme with `mkdir -p ./share/icons`, and download the hicolor (mandatory) and another icon pack (I'll be using Adwaita) 
+and place both files into `share/icons`.
+
+Or just copy from your mingw installation
+
+``` fish
+cp /mingw64/share/icons/* -r share/icons/
+```
+
+## GLib Schemas
+
+Settings schemas need to be compiled in order for the app to work. The quickest way is to just copy the default ones from your mingw installation.
+In a real-world scenaro you might want to edit these files and delete any irrelevant settings but just for testing I don't care.
+
+``` fish
+mkdir -p share/glib-2.0/schemas
+cp /mingw64/share/glib-2.0/schemas/* share/glib-2.0/schemas/
+glib-compile-schemas.exe share/glib-2.0/schemas/
+```
+
+## Pixbuf loaders
+
+GTK needs Pixbuf loaders to be able to load images, else it will crash. Just copy the loaders from your mingw installation:
+
+``` fish
+cp /mingw64/lib/gdk-pixbuf-2.0 -r lib/gdk-pixbuf-2.0
+```
+
+# Finishing up
+
+Check that your app runs, and either zip the file or create a microsoft installer to distribute the app!