---
title: Install Minikube
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card:
  name: tasks
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---

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This page shows you how to install [Minikube](/docs/tutorials/hello-minikube), a tool that runs a single-node Kubernetes cluster in a virtual machine on your laptop.

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VT-x or AMD-v virtualization must be enabled in your computer's BIOS. 

{{< tabs name="minikube_before_you_begin" >}}
{{% tab name="Linux" %}}
To check if virtualization is supported on Linux, run the following command and verify that the output is non-empty:
```
egrep --color 'vmx|svm' /proc/cpuinfo
```
{{% /tab %}}
{{% tab name="macOS" %}}
To check if virtualization is supported on macOS, run the following command on your terminal.
```
sysctl -a | grep machdep.cpu.features
```
If you see `VMX` in the output, the VT-x feature is supported on your OS.
{{% /tab %}}
{{% tab name="Windows" %}}
To check if virtualization is supported on Windows 8 and above, run the following command on your Windows terminal or command prompt. 
```
systeminfo
```
If you see the following output, virtualization is supported on Windows.
```
Hyper-V Requirements:     VM Monitor Mode Extensions: Yes
                          Virtualization Enabled In Firmware: Yes
                          Second Level Address Translation: Yes
                          Data Execution Prevention Available: Yes
```

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{{< /tabs >}}

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## Install a Hypervisor

If you do not already have a hypervisor installed, install one for your OS now:

Operating system | Supported hypervisors
:----------------|:---------------------
macOS | [VirtualBox](https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads), [VMware Fusion](https://www.vmware.com/products/fusion), [HyperKit](https://github.com/moby/hyperkit)
Linux | [VirtualBox](https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads), [KVM](http://www.linux-kvm.org/)
Windows | [VirtualBox](https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads), [Hyper-V](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/hyperv_on_windows/quick_start/walkthrough_install)

{{< note >}}
Minikube also supports a `--vm-driver=none` option that runs the Kubernetes components on the host and not in a VM. Using this driver requires Docker and a Linux environment but not a hypervisor.
{{< /note >}}

## Install kubectl

* Install kubectl according to the instructions in [Install and Set Up kubectl](/docs/tasks/tools/install-kubectl/).

## Install Minikube

### macOS

The easiest way to install Minikube on macOS is using [Homebrew](https://brew.sh):

```shell
brew cask install minikube
```

You can also install it on macOS by downloading a static binary:

```shell
curl -Lo minikube https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/latest/minikube-darwin-amd64 \
  && chmod +x minikube
```

Here's an easy way to add the Minikube executable to your path:

```shell
sudo mv minikube /usr/local/bin
```

### Linux

{{< note >}}
This document shows you how to install Minikube on Linux using a static binary.
{{< /note >}}

You can install Minikube on Linux by downloading a static binary:

```shell
curl -Lo minikube https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/latest/minikube-linux-amd64 \
  && chmod +x minikube
```

Here's an easy way to add the Minikube executable to your path:

```shell
sudo cp minikube /usr/local/bin && rm minikube
```

### Windows

{{< note >}}
To run Minikube on Windows, you first need to install [VirtualBox](https://www.virtualbox.org/) or [Hyper-V](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/hyper-v-on-windows/quick-start/enable-hyper-v). Hyper-V can be run on three versions of Windows 10: Windows 10 Enterprise, Windows 10 Professional, and Windows 10 Education. See the official Minikube GitHub repository for additional [installation information](https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/#installation).
{{< /note >}}

The easiest way to install Minikube on Windows is using [Chocolatey](https://chocolatey.org/) (run as an administrator):

```shell
choco install minikube kubernetes-cli
```

After Minikube has finished installing, close the current CLI session and restart. Minikube should have been added to your path automatically.

#### Windows manual installation

To install Minikube manually on Windows, download [`minikube-windows-amd64`](https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/latest), rename it to `minikube.exe`, and add it to your path.

#### Windows Installer

To install Minikube manually on windows using [Windows Installer](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/msi/windows-installer-portal), download [`minikube-installer.exe`](https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/latest) and execute the installer.

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* [Running Kubernetes Locally via Minikube](/docs/setup/minikube/)

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## Cleanup everything to start fresh

If you have previously installed minikube, and run:
```shell
minikube start
```

And this command returns an error:
```shell
machine does not exist
```

You need to wipe the configuration files:
```shell
rm -rf ~/.minikube
```