# PDB_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY

Output directory for the MS debug symbols `.pdb` file generated by the linker for an executable or shared library target.

This property specifies the directory into which the MS debug symbols will be placed by the linker.

Added in version 3.12: The property value may use `generator expressions`. Multi-configuration generators append a per-configuration subdirectory to the specified directory unless a generator expression is used.

This property is initialized by the value of the `CMAKE_PDB_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY` variable if it is set when a target is created.

Note

This property does not apply to STATIC library targets because no linker is invoked to produce them so they have no linker-generated `.pdb` file containing debug symbols.

The linker-generated program database files are specified by the `/pdb` linker flag and are not the same as compiler-generated program database files specified by the `/Fd` compiler flag. Use the `COMPILE_PDB_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY` property to specify the latter.