title: How to fix 'error MSB4018: The "VCMessage" task failed unexpectedly' in Visual Studio 2013
body: <p>This is what I see:</p>
  
  <pre><code>1&gt;------ Build started: Project: xxx (xxx\xxx), Configuration: Debug Win32 ------
  1&gt;C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft.Cpp\v4.0\V120\Microsoft.Cpp.Platform.targets(64,5): error MSB4018: The "VCMessage" task failed unexpectedly.
  1&gt;C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft.Cpp\v4.0\V120\Microsoft.Cpp.Platform.targets(64,5): error MSB4018: System.FormatException: Index (zero based) must be greater than or equal to zero and less than the size of the argument list.
  1&gt;C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft.Cpp\v4.0\V120\Microsoft.Cpp.Platform.targets(64,5): error MSB4018:    at System.Text.StringBuilder.AppendFormat(IFormatProvider provider, String format, Object[] args)
  1&gt;C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft.Cpp\v4.0\V120\Microsoft.Cpp.Platform.targets(64,5): error MSB4018:    at System.String.Format(IFormatProvider provider, String format, Object[] args)
  1&gt;C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft.Cpp\v4.0\V120\Microsoft.Cpp.Platform.targets(64,5): error MSB4018:    at Microsoft.Build.Shared.ResourceUtilities.FormatString(String unformatted, Object[] args)
  1&gt;C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft.Cpp\v4.0\V120\Microsoft.Cpp.Platform.targets(64,5): error MSB4018:    at Microsoft.Build.Utilities.TaskLoggingHelper.FormatString(String unformatted, Object[] args)
  1&gt;C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft.Cpp\v4.0\V120\Microsoft.Cpp.Platform.targets(64,5): error MSB4018:    at Microsoft.Build.Utilities.TaskLoggingHelper.FormatResourceString(String resourceName, Object[] args)
  1&gt;C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft.Cpp\v4.0\V120\Microsoft.Cpp.Platform.targets(64,5): error MSB4018:    at Microsoft.Build.Utilities.TaskLoggingHelper.LogErrorWithCodeFromResources(String messageResourceName, Object[] messageArgs)
  1&gt;C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft.Cpp\v4.0\V120\Microsoft.Cpp.Platform.targets(64,5): error MSB4018:    at Microsoft.Build.CPPTasks.VCMessage.Execute()
  1&gt;C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft.Cpp\v4.0\V120\Microsoft.Cpp.Platform.targets(64,5): error MSB4018:    at Microsoft.Build.BackEnd.TaskExecutionHost.Microsoft.Build.BackEnd.ITaskExecutionHost.Execute()
  1&gt;C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft.Cpp\v4.0\V120\Microsoft.Cpp.Platform.targets(64,5): error MSB4018:    at Microsoft.Build.BackEnd.TaskBuilder.&lt;ExecuteInstantiatedTask&gt;d__20.MoveNext()
  ========== Build: 0 succeeded, 1 failed, 0 up-to-date, 0 skipped ==========
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>and the solutions listed in the google and SO searches don't deliver (removing trailing slashes, reverting to default <code>$(OutDir)</code> or <code>$(TargetDir)</code> paths, etc.)</p>
  
  <hr>
  
  <h2>Context</h2>
  
  <p>This regards several projects which have been migrated from MSVC2012. Other projects with the same project/solution layout migrated from the same MSVC2012 environment didn't blink an eye, while some exhibit this error, which prevents any sort of successful compile/build result. </p>