Winget ships with App Installer on modern Windows. When the command is missing, install App Installer from Microsoft, reopen the terminal, then run the install command below for the editor.
Check winget
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run winget --version. If Windows finds the command, skip ahead to the editor install. If not, install App Installer from the Microsoft Store, then reopen the terminal.
Install the editor
winget install -e --id GodotEngine.GodotEngine That PackageIdentifier lives in microsoft/winget-pkgs. InstallerType is zip with nested portable files for the win64 editor. Related: winget guide, Windows install.
If winget stays blocked
Some lab images disable the Store or winget. Use the current win64 editor zip from GitHub Releases instead. Extract and run. Download-safe: download safe. Releases: releases.
Aliases note
Winget InstallationNotes for this package warn that PortableCommandAlias symlinks may need admin rights. The editor still runs from the installed files when aliases are missing.
Home: install home. After install: first hour.
Keep one install door
Pick winget or the win64 zip and stick with it for upgrades. Stacking a Desktop copy, a Downloads copy, and a winget copy is how people open the wrong binary a month later. Projects belong in their own folders so replacing the editor never deletes scenes.
When App Installer is missing, install it from Microsoft, reopen the terminal, and retry. When you want a portable folder, extract the current win64 editor zip from GitHub Releases and run the nested editor executable. Console companion binaries are optional when you need stdout.
Official sources only
Prefer github.com/godotengine/godot/releases, microsoft/winget-pkgs for the PackageIdentifier, and godotengine.org/download/windows. Skip Softonic-style wrappers, renamed setup blogs, and pages that invent a newer stable number than GitHub shows.
Export templates live on the same stable line as the editor. Install them when you are ready to ship a Windows build for players, after a blank scene already runs. Mismatched template lines cause confusing export errors.
Hardware and SmartScreen
Official Windows notes recommend Vulkan 1.0 and list OpenGL 3.3 as minimal. Integrated GPUs vary by driver. A blank viewport after a clean install is usually drivers, not a missing second installer. SmartScreen may prompt on first launch; prefer files that arrived through GitHub or winget so bytes match upstream. Upstream notes that Windows executables are code-signed by Prehensile Tales B.V.
After the editor opens
Create or import a project outside the editor directory. Add a root node, save a scene, press play, then attach a short GDScript that prints on ready. Leave large art imports and Asset Library browsing until that path is calm. Update later through the same door you already trust.
Related: Windows install, winget, first run, Project Manager, export Windows, safety, guides index, and first hour.
Lab PCs and locked images
- Corporate images may hide App Installer or block unknown executables.
- Stop rather than forcing a helper installer from a search ad.
- Use a machine you control when you need a clean first run.
What to verify before you ship
- The Project Manager lists your project folder.
- Play opens and closes a blank scene without a blank viewport forever.
- You know whether winget or the extracted folder is your update path.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I get the current Windows editor?
Take the current win64 editor zip from the stable tag on GitHub Releases, or run the winget install command shown on this page. Both paths deliver the same Windows editor family when manifests are current.
Can I keep an old zip forever?
You can, but you miss editor and export fixes from newer stable tags. Prefer the current release via winget upgrade or a fresh GitHub zip, and keep projects outside the editor folder so upgrades stay simple.
Is this page affiliated with the engine authors?
This guide is an independent Windows install guide. They link every installer to the official GitHub release and winget package. Product facts stay tied to godotengine.org and the repository.