I Need Help Unreal 4. When I VS Project generates a build project throw error.
Building UnrealBuildTool in D:/UE Game/UE_4.27…
Running: C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\MSBuild.exe /nologo /verbosity:quiet “D:/UE Game/UE_4.27/Engine/Source/Programs/UnrealBuildTool/UnrealBuildTool.csproj” /property:Configuration=Development /property:Platform=AnyCPU
Missing D:/UE Game/UE_4.27/Engine/Binaries/DotNET/UnrealBuildTool/UnrealBuildTool.exe after build
Thanks!
Hi there,
This is a fairly common issue when generating Visual Studio project files for Unreal Engine 4 (especially 4.27). The core problem is that the system is trying to compile UnrealBuildTool.exe in the background, but the process fails silently. Since the .exe is never generated, it naturally throws this “Missing” error.
Here are the steps you can follow to fix it:
1. Space Character in Folder Path (Most Likely Cause)
Looking at your error log, your installation path is D:/UE Game/UE_4.27. The space character in the UE Game folder often causes MSBuild commands to misread file paths, which breaks the build silently. I highly recommend renaming your folder to something without spaces, like D:/UE_Game/ or D:/UEGame/, and trying again.
2. Missing Visual Studio Components
UnrealBuildTool needs specific .NET tools to compile.
Open the Visual Studio Installer and click “Modify” next to your VS version.
Ensure the “Game development with C++” workload is checked.
In the “Installation details” panel on the right, make sure .NET Framework 4.6.2 development tools (or versions up to 4.8) and the Unreal Engine installer are selected. If they are missing, check them and install.
3. Setup.bat Not Run (For Source Builds)
If you downloaded the engine source code from GitHub instead of the Epic Games Launcher, you must run the Setup.bat file in the root directory and wait for all dependencies to finish downloading before you click GenerateProjectFiles.bat.
4. Antivirus or Windows Defender Block
Sometimes, security software flags instantly compiled .exe files (like UnrealBuildTool.exe) as false positives and immediately quarantines or deletes them. Check your Windows Defender/Antivirus protection history to see if the file was blocked.
5. Find the Actual Error Manually
If none of the above works, you can manually build the tool to reveal the real error:
Open D:/UE_Game/UE_4.27/Engine/Source/Programs/UnrealBuildTool/UnrealBuildTool.csproj directly in Visual Studio (adjust the path if you removed the space).
From the top menu, click Build → Build Solution.
Check the “Output” or “Error List” window at the bottom. You will see the actual error message explaining why the .exe couldn’t be generated (e.g., missing SDK, wrong reference).
Hope one of these solves your issue! If it still doesn’t work, try Step 5 and reply with the specific error you get from the manual build so we can take a closer look. Good luck!