Complete Guide to Compiling RustDesk Flutter Version on Windows

📋 Introduction

This tutorial is suitable for compiling the Flutter version of RustDesk on Windows 10/11. RustDesk is an open-source remote desktop software, and the Flutter version provides a more modern UI interface.

Test Environment:

Windows 11
RustDesk version 1.43
Flutter 3.24.5
Rust 1.90+

🛠️ Part One: Installing Necessary Dependencies

1.1 Install Visual Studio (C++ Build Environment)

Download Visual Studio Community 2022 ^[1]
Select during installation:

Workload: Desktop development with C++
Individual Components: Ensure MSVC and Windows SDK are included

Restart the computer after installation is complete

1.2 Install Rust Development Environment

Download rustup-init.exe ^[2]
Run rustup-init.exe as administrator
Select the default installation option (press 1 and then Enter)
After installation, close and reopen the terminal

Verify installation:

rustc --version
cargo --version

1.3 Install Git

Download Git for Windows ^[3]
Use default options during installation
Restart the terminal after installation

1.4 Install vcpkg (C++ Dependency Manager)

Open Git Bash (not PowerShell), and run:

# Navigate to the directory where you want to install vcpkg, e.g., D:\
cd /d

# Clone vcpkg
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg

# Initialize vcpkg
cd vcpkg
./bootstrap-vcpkg.bat

# Install libraries required by RustDesk (this step may take a long time, especially for the aom library)
./vcpkg install libvpx:x64-windows-static libyuv:x64-windows-static opus:x64-windows-static aom:x64-windows-static

Important: Add system environment variable

Right-click “This PC” → Properties → Advanced system settings → Environment Variables
Create a new in “System Variables”:

Variable Name: VCPKG_ROOT
Variable Value: D:\vcpkg (replace with your actual path)

1.5 Install LLVM

Download LLVM 15.0.2 (64-bit) ^[4]
Install to C:\Program Files\LLVM
Add system environment variable:

Variable Name: LIBCLANG_PATH
Variable Value: C:\Program Files\LLVM\bin

1.6 Install Flutter SDK

Method A: Using FVM (Recommended, can manage multiple versions)

# Install FVM
dart pub global activate fvm

# Add Dart global package path to PATH
# %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Pub\Cache\bin

Method B: Directly Install Flutter

Download Flutter SDK ^[5], select 3.24.5 version
Extract to C:\flutter
Add to PATH: C:\flutter\bin

Verify installation:

flutter --version
# Should display Flutter 3.24.5

1.7 Install Python 3

Download Python 3.11+ ^[6]
Check the box for “Add Python to PATH”
Verify: python --version

🔧 Part Two: Preparing RustDesk Source Code

2.1 Clone RustDesk Repository

# Choose a working directory, e.g., D:\Projects
cd D:\Projects

# Clone the code (including submodules)
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk
cd rustdesk

2.2 Enable Windows Developer Mode

This is a necessary step; otherwise, you will encounter symlink errors.

Method 1 (Recommended):

start ms-settings:developers

In the opened settings window, enable “Developer Mode”.

Method 2:

Open “Settings” → “Update & Security” → “For Developers”
Enable “Developer Mode”

⚙️ Part Three: Configuring Flutter Project

3.1 Install Correct Version of Flutter

If you are using FVM:

cd D:\Projects\rustdesk

# Install Flutter 3.24.5
fvm install 3.24.5

# Use this version in the project
fvm use 3.24.5

# Verify version
fvm flutter --version

If your global Flutter version is incorrect (e.g., 3.35.7), you need to downgrade:

# Navigate to Flutter SDK directory
cd C:\flutter

# Switch to 3.24.5
git checkout 3.24.5

# Update
flutter doctor

# Verify
flutter --version

3.2 Install flutter_rust_bridge_codegen

# Install v1 version (used by RustDesk 1.43)
cargo install flutter_rust_bridge_codegen --version 1.82.6

3.3 Get Flutter Dependencies

cd D:\Projects\rustdesk\flutter

# If using FVM
fvm flutter pub get

# If using global Flutter
flutter pub get

🚀 Part Four: Compiling RustDesk

4.1 Generate Flutter-Rust Bridge (if needed)

cd D:\Projects\rustdesk

# Check if generated files already exist
Test-Path flutter\lib\generated_bridge.dart

# If not or need to regenerate
flutter_rust_bridge_codegen --rust-input ./src/flutter_ffi.rs --dart-output ./flutter/lib/generated_bridge.dart

4.2 Start Compilation

Open PowerShell as Administrator (Important!), then:

cd D:\Projects\rustdesk

# Basic compilation
python build.py --flutter

# If using FVM, set PATH first
$env:PATH = "$PWD\.fvm\flutter_sdk\bin;$env:PATH"
python build.py --flutter

Compilation Options:

--flutter: Compile Flutter version
--portable: Generate portable version
--hwcodec: Enable hardware encoding
--skip-portable-pack: Skip packaging step (recommended)

Recommended Command:

python build.py --flutter --skip-portable-pack

4.3 Wait for Compilation to Complete

The first compilation will take a long time (30-60 minutes) because it needs to:

Compile Rust code
Compile Flutter application
Download and replace Flutter Engine

Upon successful compilation, it will display:

✓ Built build\windows\x64\runner\Release\rustdesk.exe

📦 Part Five: Locating and Running the Compilation Results

5.1 Location of Compiled Artifacts

After successful compilation, the files are located at:

D:\Projects\rustdesk\flutter\build\windows\x64\runner\Release\

Main files:

rustdesk.exe – Main program
*.dll – Dependency library files
data/ – Resource folder

5.2 Run the Program

cd D:\Projects\rustdesk\flutter\build\windows\x64\runner\Release
.ustdesk.exe

5.3 Packaging for Distribution (Optional)

If you need to package it as a portable version:

# Manually copy the entire Release folder
xcopy /E /I "flutter\build\windows\x64\runner\Release" "rustdesk-portable"

# Compress into zip
Compress-Archive -Path rustdesk-portable -DestinationPath rustdesk-windows.zip

❗ Common Issues and Solutions

Issue 1: Symlink Error

Error Message:

Building with plugins requires symlink support.
Please enable Developer Mode in your system settings.

Solution:

Run start ms-settings:developers
Enable “Developer Mode”
Restart the terminal and run the compilation command as Administrator

Issue 2: Flutter Version Mismatch

Error Message:

Flutter 3.35.7 ...
fatal: please update version of ffigen in your dev_dependencies.

Solution: Your Flutter version is too new; you need to use 3.24.5.

# Method 1: Switch globally
cd C:\flutter
git checkout 3.24.5
flutter doctor

# Method 2: Use FVM
fvm install 3.24.5
fvm use 3.24.5

Issue 3: IntoIntoDart Trait Error

Error Message:

error[E0277]: the trait bound `EventToUI: IntoIntoDart<_>` is not satisfied

Solution: Incorrect version of flutter_rust_bridge, reinstall:

cargo uninstall flutter_rust_bridge_codegen
cargo install flutter_rust_bridge_codegen --version 1.82.6

# Regenerate bridge
flutter_rust_bridge_codegen --rust-input ./src/flutter_ffi.rs --dart-output ./flutter/lib/generated_bridge.dart

# Clean and recompile
cd flutter
flutter clean
cd ..
python build.py --flutter --skip-portable-pack

Issue 4: Missing dylib_virtual_display.dll

Error Message:

FileNotFoundError: [WinError 3] ...dylib_virtual_display.dll

Solution: This error can be ignored; the main program has compiled successfully. Add the --skip-portable-pack parameter:

python build.py --flutter --skip-portable-pack

The virtual display driver is an optional feature and does not affect normal usage.

Issue 5: vcpkg Installation of aom is Slow

Problem: Installing the aom library may take over 30 minutes.

Solution:

Be patient; this is normal
Or use a proxy to speed up downloads
You can install other libraries first, and install aom last

Issue 6: Insufficient Memory During Compilation

Solution:

# Limit the number of parallel compilation jobs
$env:CARGO_BUILD_JOBS = "4"
python build.py --flutter --skip-portable-pack

🎯 Complete Compilation Process Summary

# 1. Clone the code
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk
cd rustdesk

# 2. Enable Developer Mode
start ms-settings:developers

# 3. Install the correct Flutter version
fvm install 3.24.5
fvm use 3.24.5

# 4. Install flutter_rust_bridge
cargo install flutter_rust_bridge_codegen --version 1.82.6

# 5. Get dependencies
cd flutter
fvm flutter pub get
cd ..

# 6. Compile as Administrator (Important!)
$env:PATH = "$PWD\.fvm\flutter_sdk\bin;$env:PATH"
python build.py --flutter --skip-portable-pack

# 7. Run the program
cd flutter\build\windows\x64\runner\Release
.ustdesk.exe

🔗 Related Resources

RustDesk Official Documentation ^[7]
RustDesk GitHub ^[8]
Flutter Official Documentation ^[9]
Rust Official Documentation ^[10]

⚠️ Notes

Must run compilation commands as Administrator
Ensure Flutter version is 3.24.5, do not use newer or older versions
First compilation takes a long time, please be patient
Installation of aom library in vcpkg is slow, this is normal
During compilation, Flutter Engine will be automatically downloaded, a good network connection is required
It is recommended to use SSD, compilation speed will be much faster
At least 20GB of disk space should be reserved

🎉 Compilation Successful!

After successful compilation, you can:

Directly run rustdesk.exe for testing
Package the Release folder for distribution
Modify the source code as needed and recompile
Contribute code to the RustDesk project

Happy coding! 🚀

Reference Links

[1] Visual Studio Community 2022:https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/[2]rustup-init.exe:https://static.rust-lang.org/rustup/dist/x86_64-pc-windows-msvc/rustup-init.exe[3]Git for Windows:https://git-scm.com/download/win[4]LLVM 15.0.2 (64-bit):https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/releases/download/llvmorg-15.0.2/LLVM-15.0.2-win64.exe[5]Flutter SDK:https://docs.flutter.dev/release/archive[6]Python 3.11+:https://www.python.org/downloads/[7]RustDesk Official Documentation:https://rustdesk.com/docs/[8]RustDesk GitHub:https://github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk[9]Flutter Official Documentation:https://docs.flutter.dev/[10]Rust Official Documentation: https://www.rust-lang.org/

Content is original and optimized by AI.

Complete Guide to Compiling RustDesk Flutter Version on Windows

📋 Introduction

🛠️ Part One: Installing Necessary Dependencies

1.1 Install Visual Studio (C++ Build Environment)

1.2 Install Rust Development Environment

1.3 Install Git

1.4 Install vcpkg (C++ Dependency Manager)

1.5 Install LLVM

1.6 Install Flutter SDK

1.7 Install Python 3

🔧 Part Two: Preparing RustDesk Source Code

2.1 Clone RustDesk Repository

2.2 Enable Windows Developer Mode

⚙️ Part Three: Configuring Flutter Project

3.1 Install Correct Version of Flutter

3.2 Install flutter_rust_bridge_codegen

3.3 Get Flutter Dependencies

🚀 Part Four: Compiling RustDesk

4.1 Generate Flutter-Rust Bridge (if needed)

4.2 Start Compilation

4.3 Wait for Compilation to Complete

📦 Part Five: Locating and Running the Compilation Results

5.1 Location of Compiled Artifacts

5.2 Run the Program

5.3 Packaging for Distribution (Optional)

❗ Common Issues and Solutions

Issue 1: Symlink Error

Issue 2: Flutter Version Mismatch

Issue 3: IntoIntoDart Trait Error

Issue 4: Missing dylib_virtual_display.dll

Issue 5: vcpkg Installation of aom is Slow

Issue 6: Insufficient Memory During Compilation

🎯 Complete Compilation Process Summary

🔗 Related Resources

⚠️ Notes

🎉 Compilation Successful!

Reference Links

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