Windows symbol packages for debugging
Symbol files make it easier to debug your code by providing data like variable names to the debugging tools. The easiest way to get Windows symbols is to use the Microsoft public symbol server. The symbol server makes symbols available to your debugging tools as needed. After a symbol file is downloaded from the symbol server, it's cached on the local computer for quick access.
Symbol package deprecation
Important
We no longer publish the offline symbol packages for Windows.
Given the frequent updates for Windows, the Windows debugging symbols that were published as packages are quickly made out of date. Symbols are available online through the Microsoft public symbol server, which uses an Azure-based symbol store. Symbols for all Windows versions and updates are available there. You can find more information in this archived blog entry.
For information on how to retrieve symbols for a machine that's not connected to the Internet, see Using a manifest file with SymChk.
Symbol resources and feedback
To learn more about using symbols and debugging, see Symbols and symbol files.
For help with debugging issues, see Debugging resources.
We're interested in your feedback about symbols. Mail suggestions or bug reports to windbgfb@microsoft.com. Technical support isn't available from this address, but your feedback will help us to plan future changes for symbols distribution.