I recently switched to the Unreal Engine and saw that it uses the microsoft VS compiler for the compilation of its c++ programs. I am using unreal version 4.26 and I have 2 versions of the visual studio build tools installed, 2017 and 2019. I am not using the VS IDE, I am using VS code as an editor. I am curious as to where and how does unreal engine decide which compiler to use for its compilation purposes.
If possible, can I manually configure it?
The only thing you can modify on Unreal Engine is the IDE that Unreal will open when you start the engine. Then the compiler depends on your solution file and on your settings, so you need to open your IDE and choose the settings that you prefer. To do this you can't use VS code because it doesn't have the settings for Unreal Engine (unless with some plugin but idk), and it's also uncomfortable. I suggest you to use JetBrains Rider for Unreal Engine or the official IDE, Visual Studio, so then you have IntelliSense and all settings.
In the editor under Edit>Project Settings>Platforms>Toolchain there is a drop down to specify the compiler version.
Scroll down all to the WindowsPlatform->CompilerVersion part and it shows how you can change it via configuration file.
