website/content/en/docs/tasks/tools/install-kubectl-windows.md

reviewers	title	content_type	weight
mikedanese	Install and Set Up kubectl on Windows	task	10

{{% heading "prerequisites" %}}

You must use a kubectl version that is within one minor version difference of your cluster. For example, a v{{< skew currentVersion >}} client can communicate with v{{< skew currentVersionAddMinor -1 >}}, v{{< skew currentVersionAddMinor 0 >}}, and v{{< skew currentVersionAddMinor 1 >}} 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 with curl on Windows
• Install on Windows using Chocolatey, Scoop, or winget

Install kubectl binary with curl on Windows

1. Download the latest {{< skew currentVersion >}} patch release: [kubectl {{< skew currentPatchVersion >}}](https://dl.k8s.io/release/v{{< skew currentPatchVersion >}}/bin/windows/amd64/kubectl.exe).

   Or if you have curl installed, use this command:

   curl.exe -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/v{{< skew currentPatchVersion >}}/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. {{< /note >}}

2. Validate the binary (optional)

   Download the kubectl checksum file:

   curl.exe -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/v{{< skew currentPatchVersion >}}/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:

     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:

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

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

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

   kubectl version --client
   

   Or use this for detailed view of version:

   kubectl version --client --output=yaml
   

{{< note >}} Docker Desktop for Windows 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. {{< /note >}}

Install on Windows using Chocolatey, Scoop, or winget

1. To install kubectl on Windows you can use either Chocolatey package manager, Scoop command-line installer, or winget package manager.

   {{< tabs name="kubectl_win_install" >}} {{% tab name="choco" %}}

   choco install kubernetes-cli
   

   {{% /tab %}} {{% tab name="scoop" %}}

   scoop install kubectl
   

   {{% /tab %}} {{% tab name="winget" %}}

   winget install -e --id Kubernetes.kubectl
   

   {{% /tab %}} {{< /tabs >}}

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

   kubectl version --client
   

3. Navigate to your home directory:

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

4. Create the .kube directory:

   mkdir .kube
   

5. Change to the .kube directory you just created:

   cd .kube
   

6. Configure kubectl to use a remote Kubernetes cluster:

   New-Item config -type file
   

{{< note >}} Edit the config file with a text editor of your choice, such as Notepad. {{< /note >}}

Verify kubectl configuration

{{< include "included/verify-kubectl.md" >}}

Optional kubectl configurations and plugins

Enable shell autocompletion

kubectl provides autocompletion support for Bash, Zsh, Fish, and PowerShell, which can save you a lot of typing.

Below are the procedures to set up autocompletion for PowerShell.

{{< include "included/optional-kubectl-configs-pwsh.md" >}}

Install kubectl convert plugin

{{< include "included/kubectl-convert-overview.md" >}}

1. Download the latest release with the command:

   curl.exe -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/v{{< skew currentPatchVersion >}}/bin/windows/amd64/kubectl-convert.exe"
   

2. Validate the binary (optional).

   Download the kubectl-convert checksum file:

   curl.exe -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/v{{< skew currentPatchVersion >}}/bin/windows/amd64/kubectl-convert.exe.sha256"
   

   Validate the kubectl-convert binary against the checksum file:

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

     CertUtil -hashfile kubectl-convert.exe SHA256
     type kubectl-convert.exe.sha256
     

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

     $($(CertUtil -hashfile .\kubectl-convert.exe SHA256)[1] -replace " ", "") -eq $(type .\kubectl-convert.exe.sha256)
     

3. Append or prepend the kubectl-convert binary folder to your PATH environment variable.

4. Verify the plugin is successfully installed.

   kubectl convert --help
   

   If you do not see an error, it means the plugin is successfully installed.

5. After installing the plugin, clean up the installation files:

   del kubectl-convert.exe kubectl-convert.exe.sha256
   

{{% heading "whatsnext" %}}

{{< include "included/kubectl-whats-next.md" >}}