Visual Leak Detector

Despite the fact that Visual C++ already comes with this feature, the truth is that the embedded leaker detection can be considered minimal. Users interested in spotting memory leaks need to appeal to third-party solutions. is a free, robust, open-source memory leak detection add-on system for Visual C++.

There are several features that the add-on brings to the picture for Visual C++ users, starting with the fact that users can get a complete stack trace for each leaked block along with other valuable data, such as source as well as the line number, when it is available. Another noteworthy benefit is that users can remove DLL files and executables from the scan, thus making everything faster.

According to the developer, the tool is designed to detect almost all types of in-process  and Win32 heap-based memory leaks. Following the scan, the utility can provide complete reports of the data dumps in either HEX or ASCII, so they can be further analyzed with other specific tools. Speaking of the reports, users can customize it to include a wide variety of details, an aspect that makes the post-processing more relevant in some cases. The report can be saved as a file or be sent directly to the debugger.