How do I get Visual Studio to recognize .cc files as c++ source files?

Use the /Tp option of the compiler to instruct it to assume the file is C++. You can put this in as a custom build rule, or modify some registry settings to add .cc to the list of file extensions recognized as C++. The key to modify is: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\DevStudio\X.0\Build System\Components\Platforms\Win32 (x86)\Tools\32-bit C/C++\Input_Spec and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\DevStudio\6.0\Build System\Components\Tools\\Input_Spec where X is the DevStudio version (5 or 6). You'll probably want to modify the following key to get automatic source code syntax coloring: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\DevStudio\X.0\Text Editor\Tabs/Language Settings\C/C++\FileExtensions This method is nicer because it will save you a lot of work setting up the custom build rules. However, you still have to add the /TP switch manually to the Project Settings to get the compiler to fully recognize the file as C++. The downside: You won't be able to mix C and C++ files in the project, in which case, the only option is using custom build rules.