Visual Studio Build vs Rebuild vs Clean: Complete Guide

Build Solution, Rebuild Solution, and Clean Solution are three distinct commands in Visual Studio that serve different purposes in the development workflow. Build Solution performs an incremental compilation that only processes files that have changed since the last build, making it the fastest option for regular development. Rebuild Solution forces a complete recompilation of all files by first cleaning each project individually and then rebuilding everything from scratch. Clean Solution removes all intermediate and output files created during previous builds, effectively resetting the build state.

Contents

• Understanding Build Solution
• Understanding Rebuild Solution
• Understanding Clean Solution
• When to Use Each Command
• Performance Considerations
• Best Practices

Understanding Build Solution

Build Solution (Build → Build Solution) performs an incremental build that only compiles the files that have been modified since the last successful build. This approach is based on Visual Studio’s analysis of which files need to be recompiled and which can be reused from previous builds.

According to the Microsoft Q&A, “Build Solution will only compile and build the things that it thinks it needs to based on the latest changes that have been made.” This makes it the most efficient option for day-to-day development.

Key characteristics of Build Solution:

• Only processes changed files and their dependencies
• Uses previously compiled files when possible
• Significantly faster than Rebuild for most scenarios
• The default action when pressing F5 (Start Debugging) or Ctrl+Shift+B (Build Solution)

As noted in the Microsoft Learn documentation, “Build is the normal thing to do and is faster.”

Understanding Rebuild Solution

Rebuild Solution (Build → Rebuild Solution) forces a complete recompilation of all files in your solution, regardless of whether they’ve been modified. The key difference from Clean + Build is that Rebuild handles each project individually.

As explained in the Medium article, “The difference between this and ‘Clean, followed by Build’ is that Rebuild will clean-then-build each project, one at a time, rather than cleaning all and then building all.”

The process works as follows:

1. For each project in the solution:
   • Deletes the compiled files for that specific project
   • Recompiles all source files in that project
2. Links the compiled outputs to create the final assemblies

According to Microsoft Q&A, “Rebuild Solution will recompile, etc. all modules (files) in the Project/Solution whether or not they have been changed since the last build.”

Understanding Clean Solution

Clean Solution (Build → Clean Solution) removes all intermediate files and build artifacts from previous builds, effectively resetting your solution’s build state.

As stated in the Stack Overflow answer, “Clean Solution - Delete all intermediate files. Used when all else fails and you need to clean everything up and start fresh.”

The Clean Solution command:

• Deletes all .dll, .exe, and other output files
• Removes intermediate files (obj folders, .pdb files, etc.)
• Clears build artifacts but not source code or project settings
• Does not perform any compilation

According to the Daily .NET Tips, “Clean Solution – Deletes all compiled, intermediate files.”

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When to Use Each Command

When to Use Build Solution

Use Build Solution in these scenarios:

• Normal development workflow: For everyday coding after making changes to your source files
• After making small changes: When you’ve modified only a few files and want to see the results quickly
• Regular debugging sessions: When you’re actively debugging and need to test incremental changes
• Performance-critical situations: When you need the fastest possible compile time

As the Reddit discussion explains, “Build - Visual Studio only compiles and builds the things that it thinks it needs to based on the latest changes that have been made (probably closer to a partial build in most uses).”

When to Use Rebuild Solution

Use Rebuild Solution in these scenarios:

• When changes don’t appear in the build: According to Stack Overflow, “Used when you notice that Visual Studio didn’t incorporate your changes in the latest assembly.”
• Build artifact synchronization issues: When you suspect that build artifacts are out of sync with your source code
• After adding or removing references: When you’ve added or removed project references that might affect the build order
• Before critical debugging sessions: When you’re experiencing strange behavior that might be related to cached build information
• After source control updates: When you’ve pulled changes from a repository that might affect build dependencies

The Reddit discussion adds that “Rebuild - This forces Visual Studio to recompile everything, including the things it doesn’t think it needs to. I think this also recompiles things in a different order than a typical build.”

When to Use Clean Solution

Use Clean Solution in these scenarios:

• When all else fails: As noted in the Stack Overflow answer, “Used when all else fails and you need to clean everything up and start fresh.”
• Before major releases: According to Software Engineering Stack Exchange, “you might want to do the Clean+Build before a major release”
• After getting files from other resources: When you’ve received files from other developers or sources
• When experiencing mysterious build errors: When you’re encountering build issues that don’t seem to have an obvious cause
• Before deployment: When preparing a clean build for deployment to ensure no artifacts from previous builds are included

Interestingly, as noted in Stack Overflow, “In practice, you never need to Clean.”

Performance Considerations

The three commands vary significantly in performance:

• Build Solution: Fastest option, typically taking seconds for most projects
• Rebuild Solution: 2-4x slower than Build, as it recompiles everything
• Clean Solution: Quick (usually under a second), but must be followed by a Build to be useful

According to the Bit-Wizards blog, “The biggest points to note are not just what these things do, but how they do them. The differences come into play when considering the order in which the sequence is performed.”

Best Practices

Daily Development Workflow

1. Start with Build Solution for most changes
2. Use Rebuild Solution when changes aren’t reflected or you’re experiencing build issues
3. Save Clean Solution for when you’re truly stuck

Project Management Best Practices

• Use Build Solution in your continuous integration pipelines for efficiency
• Consider Rebuild Solution before creating release builds
• Use Clean Solution before major version releases or when sharing build artifacts

Debugging Strategy

As noted in the Reddit discussion, “I’ve seen times where a build won’t compile because the compiler thinks a procedure has invalid parameters based on a previously built version, but a forced full recompile works around this.”

Team Development Guidelines

• Communicate with your team when performing Clean operations
• Document build issues that required Rebuild or Clean solutions
• Consider adding build scripts to automate clean rebuild processes when needed

Conclusion

Understanding the differences between Build, Rebuild, and Clean commands in Visual Studio is essential for efficient development. Build Solution should be your default choice for incremental development, Rebuild Solution addresses synchronization issues and ensures complete compilation, and Clean Solution serves as a reset when you encounter stubborn build problems. By using these commands appropriately, you can maintain a smooth development workflow and quickly resolve build-related issues.

For most developers, the workflow should be: start with Build, move to Rebuild when needed, and use Clean only when absolutely necessary. This approach balances efficiency with problem-solving, ensuring you spend more time coding and less time troubleshooting build issues.

Sources

1. Difference between Build Solution, Rebuild Solution, and Clean Solution in Visual Studio? - Stack Overflow
2. Difference between Build Solution, Rebuild Solution, and Clean Solution in Visual Studio? - Medium
3. Build Solution vs. Rebuild Solution - Microsoft Q&A
4. VS2022 Build, Rebuild, and Clean - Reddit
5. Visual Studio: Why Clean, Build, & Rebuild? - Bit-Wizards
6. Essential Difference between Build Rebuild and Clean in Visual Studio - DotNetCrunch
7. Back to Basics - Building Solutions in Visual Studio - Build Vs. Rebuild - Daily .NET Tips
8. Build solution vs. Rebuild solution vs. Clean solution Menu - CodeProject
9. Build and clean projects and solutions - Visual Studio (Windows) | Microsoft Learn
10. Do I need to Clean/Rebuild a project before Debugging/Publishing it in Visual Studio? - Software Engineering Stack Exchange