Which platforms does Nushell support and how do I install it?

Updated

Nushell runs on Linux, macOS, BSD, and Windows, so the same shell and command syntax work across all four. You can install it as a downloadable binary, through a package manager, in a GitHub Action, or from source. The fastest route on macOS/Linux is Homebrew or Nix; on Windows it's winget. After installing, type nu to launch it.

Supported platforms

Nushell is cross-platform by design: learn it once, then use it anywhere. The supported systems are:

  • Linux
  • macOS
  • BSD
  • Windows

Because the shell behaves the same across these platforms, pipelines and scripts you write on one system are intended to carry over to the others.

Installation options

Nushell is distributed in four ways:

Method What it means for you
Downloadable binaries Grab a prebuilt binary directly
Package manager Install and update through your existing tooling
GitHub Action Use Nu inside a CI workflow
Source code Build it yourself

The site points to detailed installation instructions for each, and offers quick commands for the most common package managers.

macOS and Linux

Homebrew:

brew install nushell

Nix profile:

nix profile install nixpkgs#nushell

Windows

Install to user scope (the default):

winget install nushell

Machine scope installation (run as admin):

winget install nushell --scope machine

Verify the install

After installing, launch Nu by typing:

nu

If Nu starts, the installation succeeded. From there, the documentation covers four paths depending on what you need: Getting Started, Coming to Nu (similarities and differences to other languages and shells), Nu Fundamentals, and Programming in Nu. There's also Nu as a Shell for interactive use and configuration.

What you get once it's running

Two design choices are worth knowing before you commit, because they shape daily use:

  • Everything is data. Nu pipelines use structured data, so you select, filter, and sort the same way every time instead of parsing strings. It reads JSON, YAML, SQLite, Excel, and more out of the box, whether the data lives in a file, a database, or a web API.
  • Typed data and clear errors. Nu operates on typed data, which catches bugs other shells don't, and when something breaks it tells you where and why.

If you have questions, the project runs a Discord community, and the site accepts feedback or pull requests.