Flutter Windows Plugin Development: Resolving Symlink Error

Problem Statement

When building Flutter applications on Windows that use plugins, you may encounter an error stating:

Building with plugins requires symlink support.

Please enable Developer Mode in your system settings. Run
  start ms-settings:developers
to open settings.
exit code 1

This error typically occurs when:

• You're building for Windows desktop platform (not mobile targets)
• Your Flutter project includes plugins that require symbolic link creation
• Windows security settings block symlink creation by default

The error may also manifest in generated plugin files like generated_plugin_registrant.dart, which can show compilation errors because the necessary plugin files weren't properly linked during build.

Solutions

Enable Developer Mode (Recommended)

The most straightforward solution is to enable Developer Mode in Windows settings:

Command Prompt

start ms-settings:developers

PowerShell (Admin)

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModelUnlock" /t REG_DWORD /f /v "AllowDevelopmentWithoutDevLicense" /d "1"

Steps to enable Developer Mode:

1. Open Windows Settings (Win + I)
2. Navigate to:
   • Windows 10/11: Privacy & Security → For developers
   • Windows 12: System → Developer options (based on preview versions)
3. Enable "Developer mode" (may appear as "Install apps from any source, including loose files")
4. Restart your IDE/terminal and rebuild your project

Alternative Approaches

If you prefer not to enable Developer Mode system-wide, consider these alternatives:

Run with elevated privileges:

# Run Command Prompt as Administrator, then:
flutter pub get

Change target device: If you're not specifically developing for Windows:

# Switch to Android emulator or physical device
flutter run -d android

Manual dependency management: Instead of flutter pub add, manually edit pubspec.yaml and run:

dart pub remove package_name  # If needed
flutter pub get

Explanation

Why This Error Occurs

Flutter plugins for Windows often require symbolic links to properly share code and resources between the main application and plugin components. Windows restricts symlink creation by default for security reasons, preventing potential malware installation.

Developer Mode relaxes these restrictions specifically for development scenarios, allowing:

• Creation of symbolic links without administrator privileges
• Installation of apps from "loose files" (unpackaged applications)
• Debugging and testing capabilities

When You Need This Fix

You primarily need this solution when:

• Targeting Windows desktop platform (flutter run -d windows)
• Using plugins with native Windows components
• Running flutter pub get for plugins that require symlink support

WARNING

If you're not developing for Windows, check that you haven't accidentally selected Windows as your target device in your IDE. This is a common oversight that triggers this error unnecessarily.

Best Practices

1. Only enable Developer Mode when necessary - Disable it when not actively developing
2. Use the registry method for automation - Helpful for CI/CD pipelines
3. Verify your target platform - Ensure you're building for the correct device
4. Keep plugins updated - Newer versions may have improved Windows support

To disable Developer Mode when not needed:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModelUnlock" /t REG_DWORD /f /v "AllowDevelopmentWithoutDevLicense" /d "0"

Conclusion

The "Building with plugins requires symlink support" error is a Windows security feature, not a Flutter bug. Enabling Developer Mode is the standard solution that allows Flutter to properly handle plugin dependencies requiring symbolic links. For developers not targeting Windows, simply switching to a mobile device often resolves the issue without changing system settings.