Install and Set Up kubectl on Windows [page]deterministic

taskscliapi

You must use a kubectl version that is within one minor version difference of your cluster. For example, a v client can communicate with v, v, and v control planes. Using the latest compatible version of kubectl helps avoid unforeseen issues.

## Install kubectl on Windows

The following methods exist for installing kubectl on Windows:

[Install kubectl binary on Windows (via direct download or curl)](#install-kubectl-binary-on-windows-via-direct-download-or-curl)
[Install on Windows using Chocolatey, Scoop, or winget](#install-nonstandard-package-tools)

### Install kubectl binary on Windows (via direct download or curl)

1. You have two options for installing kubectl on your Windows device

Direct download: Download the latest patch release binary directly for your specific architecture by visiting the [Kubernetes release page](https://kubernetes.io/releases/download/#binaries). Be sure to select the correct binary for your architecture (e.g., amd64, arm64, etc.). - Using curl:

If you have `curl` installed, use this command:

```powershell curl.exe -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/v/bin/windows/amd64/kubectl.exe" ```

> Note: To find out the latest stable version (for example, for scripting), take a look at [https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt](https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt).

1. Validate the binary (optional)

Download the `kubectl` checksum file:

```powershell curl.exe -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/v/bin/windows/amd64/kubectl.exe.sha256" ```

Validate the `kubectl` binary against the checksum file:

Using Command Prompt to manually compare `CertUtil`'s output to the checksum file downloaded:

```cmd CertUtil -hashfile kubectl.exe SHA256 type kubectl.exe.sha256 ```

Using PowerShell to automate the verification using the `-eq` operator to get a `True` or `False` result:

```powershell $(Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 .\kubectl.exe).Hash -eq $(Get-Content .\kubectl.exe.sha256) ```

1. Append or prepend the `kubectl` binary folder to your `PATH` environment variable.

1. Test to ensure the version of `kubectl` is the same as downloaded:

```cmd kubectl version --client ``` Or use this for detailed view of version:

```cmd kubectl version --client --output=yaml ```

> Note: [Docker Desktop for Windows](https://docs.docker.com/docker-for-windows/#kubernetes) adds its own version of `kubectl` to `PATH`. If you have installed Docker Desktop before, you may need to place your `PATH` entry before the one added by the Docker Desktop installer or remove the Docker Desktop's `kubectl`.

### Install on Windows using Chocolatey, Scoop, or winget {#install-nonstandard-package-tools}

1. To install kubectl on Windows you can use either [Chocolatey](https://chocolatey.org) package manager, [Scoop](https://scoop.sh) command-line installer, or [winget](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/package-manager/winget/) package manager.

```powershell choco install kubernetes-cli ``` ```powershell scoop install kubectl ``` ```powershell winget install -e --id Kubernetes.kubectl ```

1. Test to ensure the version you installed is up-to-date:

```powershell kubectl version --client ```

1. Navigate to your home directory:

```powershell # If you're using cmd.exe, run: cd %USERPROFILE% cd ~ ```

1. Create the `.kube` directory:

```powershell mkdir .kube ```

1. Change to the `.kube` directory you just created:

```powershell cd .kube ```

1. Configure kubectl to use a remote Kubernetes cluster:

```powershell New-Item config -type file ```

> Note: Edit the config file with a text editor of your choice, such as Notepad.