For Visual C++ you should do the following: Opengl32.dll and glu32.dll should already be in the system folder. Opengl32.lib and glu32.lib should already be in the lib folder for VC++. gl.h and glu.h should be in a folder called GL under the include folder for VC++ All the above files come with Windows and VC++. You will have to get glut32.lib, glut32.dll and glut.h off the web. Check www.opengl.org for pointers. Put them in the same places as the other files. You want to create a console application. Go to project settings. Under the link menu, add Opengl32.lib, glu32.lib and glut32.lib Now you can build the .exe file