diff --git a/backends/template/CMakeLists.txt b/backends/template/CMakeLists.txt
index bee84e3466fa2803be46b86f6a1b710c15e7a0cb..52fd6feeebd2e2bdf529aff6ab22f8842bf60a5c 100644
--- a/backends/template/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/backends/template/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@ ADD_EXECUTABLE(spectrum2_template_backend ${SRC})
 if (NOT WIN32)
 target_link_libraries(spectrum2_template_backend transport pthread ${Boost_LIBRARIES} ${SWIFTEN_LIBRARY} ${LOG4CXX_LIBRARIES})
 else()
-target_link_libraries(spectrum2_template_backend transport ${Boost_LIBRARIES} ${SWIFTEN_LIBRARY} ${LOG4CXX_LIBRARIES})
+include_directories("${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/msvc-deps/protobuf/libprotobuf")
+target_link_libraries(spectrum2_template_backend transport libprotobuf ${Boost_LIBRARIES} ${SWIFTEN_LIBRARY} ${LOG4CXX_LIBRARIES})
 endif()
 
 #INSTALL(TARGETS spectrum2_template_backend RUNTIME DESTINATION bin)