Get the path to the most recent msbuild.exe from the registry.

get-msbuildExe-path.bat

@echo off
:: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/328017/path-to-msbuild
:: http://www.csharp411.com/where-to-find-msbuild-exe/
:: http://timrayburn.net/blog/visual-studio-2013-and-msbuild/
:: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/visualstudio/archive/2013/07/24/msbuild-is-now-part-of-visual-studio.aspx
setlocal

:vswhereModernTry
:: https://github.com/Microsoft/vswhere/wiki/Find-MSBuild
:: Normal output example of `vswhere -legacy -latest -property installationPath` has no trailing back-slash:
:: `C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\`
for /f "usebackq tokens=*" %%i in (`vswhere -latest -products * -requires Microsoft.Component.MSBuild -property installationPath`) do (
  set InstallDir=%%i
)
:: without ENABLEEXTENSIONS, %InstallDir% is only available outside the above loop.
for %%v in (15.0, 14.0) do (
  if exist "%InstallDir%\MSBuild\%%v\Bin\MSBuild.exe" (
    set msBuildExe="%InstallDir%\MSBuild\%%v\Bin\MSBuild.exe"
    goto :finish
  )
)

:manualTry
:: order of the versions is important: get the most recent one
for %%v in (14.0, 12.0, 4.0, 3.5, 2.0) do (
  for /f "usebackq tokens=2* delims= " %%c in (`reg query "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSBuild\ToolsVersions\%%v" /v MSBuildToolsPath`) do (
    set msBuildExe="%%dMSBuild.exe"
    goto :finish
  )
)

:vswhereLegacyTry
:: -legacy is not compatible with -products or -requires
:: note there is no Visual Studio 13.0 (just like there is no Office 13.0) likely because USA superstition.
:: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Visual_Studio#History
:: msbuild was introduced in Visual Studio 8.0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSBuild#History
:: Legacy output example of `vswhere -legacy -latest -property installationPath` has trailing back-slash:
:: `C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\`
for /f "usebackq tokens=*" %%i in (`vswhere -legacy -latest -property installationPath`) do (
  set InstallDir=%%i
)
:: without ENABLEEXTENSIONS, %InstallDir% is only available outside the above loop.
for %%v in (14.0, 12.0, 11.0, 10.0, 9.0, 8.0) do (
  if exist "%InstallDir%MSBuild\%%v\Bin\MSBuild.exe" (
    set msBuildExe="%InstallDir%MSBuild\%%v\Bin\MSBuild.exe"
    goto :finish
  )
)
:: nothing found

:finish
endlocal & if not [%msBuildExe%]==[] if exist %msBuildExe% ( echo %msBuildExe% )

run-msbuild.bat

  for /f "usebackq tokens=*" %%c in (`"%~dp0get-msbuildExe-path.bat"`) do (
    call %%c %*
  )

Note that 15.0 (in VS2017) no longer registers itself at this registry key location, so this trick won't simply work. vswhere is now recommended to locate MSBuild 15,

https://github.com/Microsoft/vswhere

Be sure to call vswhere -products * to get standalone installation of BuildTools. (See microsoft/vswhere#61.)

@lextm, @n9:

Thanks! I have updated the script. I tried to have it find versions prior to 15.0 via vswhere as well, but only as a last resort, as it looks like those put msbuild not inside the Visual Studio directory.

Since -products is incompatible with -legacy, you cannot have it hunt for msbuild in older versions, so the only you can do is look at Visual Studio using vswhere -legacy -latest -property installationPath.

Another uncool thing is that installationPath for -legacy ends with a back-slash, but for non-legacy stuff does not.