Why are no Symbols loaded when remote debugging?

Make sure you copy the .PDB file that is generated with your assembly into the same folder on the remote machine. This will allow the debugger to pickup the debug symbols.


  1. Add a shared folder on your dev machine that points to the location of the .pdb files
  2. Set up an environment variable called _NT_SYMBOL_PATH on the remote machine that points to the shared folder on your dev machine

The remote debugger will now search your dev machine for symbols. No need to copy them over for every build.

See MS Video here.

Start watching 8-9 minutes in. He demonstrates how to setup the remote debugger to load symbols from a drive share on your development machine.

Good luck!


  • On the Tools menu in Visual studio 2010, choose Options.
  • In the Options dialog box, open the Debugging node and then click Generals.
  • Check Show all settings if needed and locate Enable Just My Code (Managed only)
  • Uncheck it and click OK

After you can attach the remote process