diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index aea7ce6d3981..a5db5d9e923e 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -125,14 +125,15 @@ file(GLOB SOURCES
 )
 
 if (USE_PROTO)
+    if(MSVC)
+        message(FATAL_ERROR "Cannot use proto with MSVC.")
+    endif(MSVC)
     find_package(Protobuf REQUIRED)
     PROTOBUF_GENERATE_CPP(PROTO_SRCS PROTO_HDRS proto/model.proto)
     include_directories(${PROTOBUF_INCLUDE_DIRS})
     include_directories(${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR})
+    ADD_DEFINITIONS(-DUSE_PROTO)
     SET(PROTO_FILES src/proto/gbdt_model_proto.cpp ${PROTO_HDRS} ${PROTO_SRCS})
-else()
-    include_directories(src/proto/not_implemented)
-    SET(PROTO_FILES src/proto/not_implemented/gbdt_model_proto.cpp)
 endif(USE_PROTO)
 
 add_executable(lightgbm src/main.cpp ${SOURCES} ${PROTO_FILES})
diff --git a/include/LightGBM/boosting.h b/include/LightGBM/boosting.h
index 04a73504cef0..fca7f17b497d 100644
--- a/include/LightGBM/boosting.h
+++ b/include/LightGBM/boosting.h
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@
 
 #include <LightGBM/meta.h>
 #include <LightGBM/config.h>
+
+#ifdef USE_PROTO
 #include "model.pb.h"
+#endif // USE_PROTO
 
 #include <vector>
 #include <string>
@@ -188,6 +191,7 @@ class LIGHTGBM_EXPORT Boosting {
   */
   virtual bool LoadModelFromString(const std::string& model_str) = 0;
 
+  #ifdef USE_PROTO
   /*!
   * \brief Save model with protobuf
   * \param num_iterations Number of model that want to save, -1 means save all
@@ -201,6 +205,7 @@ class LIGHTGBM_EXPORT Boosting {
   * \return true if succeeded
   */
   virtual bool LoadModelFromProto(const char* filename) = 0;
+  #endif // USE_PROTO
 
   /*!
   * \brief Calculate feature importances
diff --git a/include/LightGBM/tree.h b/include/LightGBM/tree.h
index 8b3f9f5c79cd..471b8370b428 100644
--- a/include/LightGBM/tree.h
+++ b/include/LightGBM/tree.h
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@
 
 #include <LightGBM/meta.h>
 #include <LightGBM/dataset.h>
+#ifdef USE_PROTO
 #include "model.pb.h"
+#endif // USE_PROTO
 
 #include <string>
 #include <vector>
@@ -31,12 +33,13 @@ class Tree {
   * \param str Model string
   */
   explicit Tree(const std::string& str);
-
+  #ifdef USE_PROTO
   /*!
   * \brief Construtor, from a protobuf object
   * \param model_tree Model protobuf object
   */
-  explicit Tree(const LightGBM::Model_Tree& model_tree);
+  explicit Tree(const Model_Tree& model_tree);
+  #endif // USE_PROTO
 
   ~Tree();
 
@@ -172,8 +175,10 @@ class Tree {
   /*! \brief Serialize this object to if-else statement*/
   std::string ToIfElse(int index, bool is_predict_leaf_index) const;
 
+  #ifdef USE_PROTO
   /*! \brief Serialize this object to protobuf object*/
   void ToProto(Model_Tree& model_tree) const;
+  #endif // USE_PROTO
 
   inline static bool IsZero(double fval) {
     if (fval > -kZeroAsMissingValueRange && fval <= kZeroAsMissingValueRange) {
diff --git a/src/application/application.cpp b/src/application/application.cpp
index 3924132ef682..c0637dea9b13 100644
--- a/src/application/application.cpp
+++ b/src/application/application.cpp
@@ -215,7 +215,11 @@ void Application::Train() {
     if (model_format == std::string("text")) {
       boosting_->SaveModelToFile(-1, save_file_name.c_str());
     } else if (model_format == std::string("proto")) {
+      #ifdef USE_PROTO
       boosting_->SaveModelToProto(-1, save_file_name.c_str());
+      #else
+      Log::Fatal("Please cmake with -DUSE_PROTO=ON to use protobuf.");
+      #endif // USE_PROTO
     } else {
       Log::Fatal("Unknown model format during saving: %s", model_format.c_str());
     }
diff --git a/src/boosting/boosting.cpp b/src/boosting/boosting.cpp
index 01daed4af3b1..a21e8b28944a 100644
--- a/src/boosting/boosting.cpp
+++ b/src/boosting/boosting.cpp
@@ -25,9 +25,13 @@ bool Boosting::LoadFileToBoosting(Boosting* boosting, const std::string& format,
         return false;
       }
     } else if (format == std::string("proto")) {
+      #ifdef USE_PROTO
       if (!boosting->LoadModelFromProto(filename)) {
         return false;
       }
+      #else
+      Log::Fatal("Please cmake with -DUSE_PROTO=ON to use protobuf.");
+      #endif // USE_PROTO
     } else {
       Log::Fatal("Unknown model format during loading: %s", format.c_str());
     }
diff --git a/src/boosting/gbdt.h b/src/boosting/gbdt.h
index 3bdb640a8e3c..5b4893e594a5 100644
--- a/src/boosting/gbdt.h
+++ b/src/boosting/gbdt.h
@@ -236,6 +236,7 @@ class GBDT: public GBDTBase {
   */
   bool LoadModelFromString(const std::string& model_str) override;
 
+  #ifdef USE_PROTO
   /*!
   * \brief Save model with protobuf
   * \param num_iterations Number of model that want to save, -1 means save all
@@ -249,6 +250,7 @@ class GBDT: public GBDTBase {
   * \return true if succeeded
   */
   bool LoadModelFromProto(const char* filename) override;
+  #endif // USE_PROTO
 
   /*!
   * \brief Calculate feature importances
diff --git a/src/proto/not_implemented/gbdt_model_proto.cpp b/src/proto/not_implemented/gbdt_model_proto.cpp
deleted file mode 100644
index 3e5d45901f8c..000000000000
--- a/src/proto/not_implemented/gbdt_model_proto.cpp
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-#include "../../boosting/gbdt.h"
-
-namespace LightGBM {
-
-void GBDT::SaveModelToProto(int, const char*) const {
-    Log::Fatal("Please cmake with -DUSE_PROTO=ON to use protobuf.");
-}
-
-bool GBDT::LoadModelFromProto(const char*) {
-    Log::Fatal("Please cmake with -DUSE_PROTO=ON to use protobuf.");
-    return false;
-}
-
-void Tree::ToProto(LightGBM::Model_Tree&) const {
-    Log::Fatal("Please cmake with -DUSE_PROTO=ON to use protobuf.");
-}
-
-Tree::Tree(const LightGBM::Model_Tree&) {
-    Log::Fatal("Please cmake with -DUSE_PROTO=ON to use protobuf.");
-}
-
-}  // namespace LightGBM
diff --git a/src/proto/not_implemented/model.pb.h b/src/proto/not_implemented/model.pb.h
deleted file mode 100644
index be7465515add..000000000000
--- a/src/proto/not_implemented/model.pb.h
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-#ifndef PROTOBUF_model_2eproto__INCLUDED
-#define PROTOBUF_model_2eproto__INCLUDED
-
-namespace LightGBM {
-    class Model;
-    class Model_Tree;
-}  // namespace LightGBM
-
-#endif // PROTOBUF_model_2eproto__INCLUDED
diff --git a/windows/LightGBM.vcxproj b/windows/LightGBM.vcxproj
index 7affdd55c496..5731a92a0ffb 100644
--- a/windows/LightGBM.vcxproj
+++ b/windows/LightGBM.vcxproj
@@ -242,15 +242,12 @@
     <ClInclude Include="..\src\treelearner\parallel_tree_learner.h" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\src\treelearner\serial_tree_learner.h" />
     <ClInclude Include="..\src\treelearner\split_info.hpp" />
-    <ClInclude Include="..\src\proto\not_implemented\model.pb.h" />
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <ClCompile Include="..\src\application\application.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\src\boosting\boosting.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\src\boosting\gbdt.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\src\boosting\gbdt_model_text.cpp" />
-    <ClCompile Include="..\src\proto\gbdt_model_proto.cpp" />
-    <ClCompile Include="..\src\proto\not_implemented\gbdt_model_proto.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\src\boosting\gbdt_prediction.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\src\boosting\prediction_early_stop.cpp" />
     <ClCompile Include="..\src\c_api.cpp" />
diff --git a/windows/LightGBM.vcxproj.filters b/windows/LightGBM.vcxproj.filters
index 953b985558f4..558dc03c3ce6 100644
--- a/windows/LightGBM.vcxproj.filters
+++ b/windows/LightGBM.vcxproj.filters
@@ -195,9 +195,6 @@
     <ClInclude Include="..\src\boosting\rf.hpp">
       <Filter>src\boosting</Filter>
     </ClInclude>
-    <ClInclude Include="..\src\proto\not_implemented\model.pb.h">
-      <Filter>src\proto\not_implemented</Filter>
-    </ClInclude>
   </ItemGroup>
   <ItemGroup>
     <ClCompile Include="..\src\application\application.cpp">
@@ -284,11 +281,5 @@
     <ClCompile Include="..\src\boosting\gbdt_model_text.cpp">
       <Filter>src\boosting</Filter>
     </ClCompile>
-    <ClCompile Include="..\src\proto\gbdt_model_proto.cpp">
-      <Filter>src\proto</Filter>
-    </ClCompile>
-    <ClCompile Include="..\src\proto\not_implemented\gbdt_model_proto.cpp">
-      <Filter>src\proto\not_implemented</Filter>
-    </ClCompile>
   </ItemGroup>
 </Project>
\ No newline at end of file