---
title: Install on Windows
description: Download, verify, and install the magus binary on Windows (amd64 or arm64) with PowerShell and put it on your PATH.
tags: [download, install, windows, powershell, path]
---

# Install on Windows

> [!WARNING]
> Nothing has run these binaries end to end. Both Windows targets are built by the release
> pipeline and never executed by it: windows/amd64 compiles and links natively, windows/arm64
> is cross-compiled and is the newest, least proven target of all. windows/amd64 has shipped
> for several releases and has field use behind it; windows/arm64 has none.
>
> The Buzz JIT is also newly enabled on Windows and its machine-code path has never run on a
> Windows machine here. If a magusfile gives a result that looks wrong, set `BUZZ_JIT=0` and
> re-run - if the answer changes, that is a JIT bug and a very valuable report.
>
> See [platform support](../setup.md#platform-support) for the full matrix.

magus ships as a single self-contained binary. Download it with `curl.exe`, extract it into a `PATH` directory you own, then [verify it](verify.md) before first run. Run these in PowerShell:

## Quick install

```powershell
# The hosted docs substitute the latest release tag below; on GitHub it reads
# literally - get the real value from https://github.com/egladman/magus/releases
$VERSION = "v0.4.2"
$ARCH = "amd64"       # or arm64 on Windows on ARM
curl.exe -fLO "https://github.com/egladman/magus/releases/download/$VERSION/magus_${VERSION}_windows_${ARCH}_static.tar.gz"
mkdir -Force $Env:USERPROFILE\bin | Out-Null
tar -xzf "magus_${VERSION}_windows_${ARCH}_static.tar.gz" magus.exe
Move-Item -Force magus.exe $Env:USERPROFILE\bin\magus.exe
magus version
```

The archive also carries `LICENSE`, `THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES`, `README.md`, and a
`BUILDINFO` file naming the exact version, commit, platform, and variant. Naming
`magus.exe` on the `tar` line above extracts just the binary; drop it to unpack all of
them. `BUILDINFO` is readable without running anything, which is the point if a
dynamically linked build will not start.

Both `curl.exe` and `tar` ship with Windows 10 (1803+) and Windows 11, so no extra tooling is needed. `$VERSION` above is the current release; [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/egladman/magus/releases) lists every build.

To fill in `$ARCH` from the machine rather than by hand, `$Env:PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE` reads `AMD64` or `ARM64`:

```powershell
$ARCH = if ($Env:PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE -eq "ARM64") { "arm64" } else { "amd64" }
```

## Testing status

Windows binaries are built by the release pipeline but are **not executed by CI**,
which runs on Linux only. windows/amd64 has shipped for several releases and has
field use behind it; **windows/arm64 is new and has never been run end to end**.

The Buzz JIT is also newly enabled on Windows - it was disabled there until this
release line - and its generated machine code has not executed on any Windows
machine during development. If a magusfile gives a result that looks wrong, re-run
with the JIT off:

```powershell
$Env:BUZZ_JIT = "0"
magus run <target>
```

If the answer changes, that is a JIT bug rather than a magusfile bug, and it is a
very useful thing to report. See [Platform support](../setup.md#platform-support).

## Which archive

The `_static` archive above is what both architectures ship, and it is what `magus self update` fetches. No dynamically linked archive is published: on Windows it would link the MSYS2 mingw copies of libzstd/liblzma, which a user's machine has no reason to carry. `magus run release-build:dynamic` produces one from source if you want it.

## Verify the download

Fetch the manifest and its signature next to the tarball:

```powershell
curl.exe -fLO "https://github.com/egladman/magus/releases/download/$VERSION/SHA256SUMS"
curl.exe -fLO "https://github.com/egladman/magus/releases/download/$VERSION/SHA256SUMS.sig"
```

Then verify the Ed25519 signature _first_, and only then the checksum - checking a hash against an unverified manifest proves nothing. The exact commands are in [Verify a release](verify.md).

## Put it on your PATH

If `magus version` is not found, add the install directory to your user `PATH` (persists across sessions):

```powershell
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "$Env:USERPROFILE\bin;$Env:Path", "User")
```

Open a new PowerShell window afterward, then re-run `magus version`.

## Next steps

- [Verify the release](verify.md) before first run.
- Set up [shell completion](shell-setup.md#shell-completion) (PowerShell is supported).
- Keep it current with [`magus self update`](../setup.md#update).