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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11For ordinary C++ code, use std::array for a fixed-size array or std::vector for a runtime-sized or growable one. Their lifetimes manage storage automatically. If you do allocate an array manually with new[], release it with delete[]—never scalar delete.
Choose an array type before managing memory yourself
The right choice depends on whether the size is fixed, who owns the elements, and whether the collection must grow. In application code, an owning standard container is usually safer and clearer than a raw owning pointer.
| Need | Use | Who releases storage? |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed number of elements known at compile time | std::array<T, N> |
The std::array object manages its elements as part of its own lifetime. |
| Runtime-sized or growable sequence | std::vector<T> |
The vector manages its allocation and releases it when the vector is destroyed. |
| Explicit low-level control over a dynamically allocated array | new T[n] with the matching delete[] |
The code that owns the pointer must release it correctly. |
The C++ Core Guidelines recommend managing resources automatically with resource handles and RAII, and avoiding explicit calls to new and delete in ordinary code. Low-level container or resource implementations may have reasons to manage storage directly, but they must also handle ownership and object lifetime correctly. See the C++ Core Guidelines resource-management guidance.
How to allocate and deallocate a raw C++ array
A C++ new expression requests storage and initializes an object or array. For a dynamically allocated array, the essential pairing is:
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int* values = new int[count];
// Use values[0] through values[count - 1].
delete[] values;Use delete[] for an array created with new[]. Use scalar delete only for a single object created with scalar new. The Core Guidelines state: “Delete arrays using delete[] and non-arrays using delete.” Mismatching the forms can cause resource-release errors or memory corruption.
A raw owning pointer also makes cleanup dependent on every path through the code. If control returns early or an exception is thrown before delete[], the allocation can be left unreleased. Prefer a std::vector<T> for a runtime-sized sequence so cleanup follows the vector’s lifetime instead of a manually maintained pointer.
Allocation, initialization, and object lifetime are different
Storage is the memory reserved for an object; initialization establishes the object’s value, and its lifetime determines when it must be destroyed. C++ new combines a storage request with object or array initialization. C’s malloc only obtains raw storage: it does not call C++ constructors or initialize the memory.
Do not mix allocation families. Memory returned by malloc must be released with free or a valid realloc operation; storage obtained through new must be released through the matching delete form. The C++ Core Guidelines warn that malloc and free do not support construction and destruction and must not be mixed with new and delete. Low-level C++ code that separates storage from object lifetime must additionally manage construction, destruction, alignment, and allocator matching.
How allocation failure is reported
- Ordinary C++
new: If allocation cannot be satisfied, it throwsstd::bad_alloc. A null check is not the normal failure-handling pattern for this form. new(std::nothrow): This non-throwing form can returnnullptr, so check the result before using it.malloc: It returns a null pointer when allocation fails, so callers must check the result.
Microsoft’s documentation describes the C++ new and delete operators, including allocation failure behavior. For malloc‘s return value and matching release requirements, see cppreference’s std::malloc reference.
Why a container’s capacity can outlast its elements
A container can reserve storage for more elements than it currently contains. C++ standard-library containers use an allocator for element storage; the default allocator uses new and delete. Let the container manage that memory—do not manually free a pointer obtained from its elements or otherwise take over its allocation. Microsoft Learn explains allocators for standard library containers.
The same distinction appears in Rust, though its ownership rules and APIs are different from C++. Rust’s Vec<T> is a contiguous, growable, heap-backed collection. Its documentation describes len initialized elements followed by capacity - len logically uninitialized slots. Emptying a vector does not automatically shrink its capacity; shrink_to_fit or shrink_to can request a reduction. For raw-pointer interoperability, the pointer must be used with the matching allocator and layout; the documented safe approach is to reconstruct the Vec and drop it rather than independently freeing its allocation. See the Rust Vec documentation.
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