How to install CURL on Windows 11/10

If you’re a developer, sysadmin, or just a power user, chances are you’ve come across cURL—a command-line tool for transferring data with URLs. It’s fast, flexible, and incredibly useful for testing APIs, downloading files, or debugging network issues.

Good news: Windows 10 and 11 come with cURL pre-installed. But if for any reason it’s missing or you want to install a newer version, this guide will walk you through the process.

✅ Check if cURL is Already Installed

Before doing anything, check if cURL is already available on your system.

1. Open Command Prompt (type cmd in the Start menu).
2. Type: curl --version
3. If you see version info, you’re good to go. If it says “’curl’ is not recognized…”, follow the steps below.

🛠 How to Install cURL Manually on Windows 11/10

Step 1: Download cURL for Windows

1. Go to the official cURL download page:
   👉 https://curl.se/windows
2. Under the section “Windows 64-bit”, download the version with SSL support (usually something like curl-8.x.x-win64-mingw.zip).
3. Extract the ZIP file to a folder (e.g., C:\curl).

Step 2: Add cURL to Your System PATH

1. Press Win + S, search for “Environment Variables”, and open “Edit the system environment variables.”
2. In the System Properties window, click “Environment Variables…”
3. Under System variables, scroll to Path and click Edit.
4. Click New, then add the path to the bin folder inside the cURL directory you extracted (e.g., C:\curl\bin).
5. Click OK to save all the windows.

Step 3: Verify Installation

1. Open a new Command Prompt window.
2. Type: curl --version
3. You should now see the version info, confirming cURL is installed and ready to use.

🧠 Pro Tip: Use cURL with PowerShell Too

If you use PowerShell, just be aware that curl might be aliased to Invoke-WebRequest. To run actual cURL commands in PowerShell, use:

curl.exe [your-arguments]

🚀 Wrapping Up

Installing cURL on Windows 11/10 is quick and painless. Whether you’re testing REST APIs or downloading scripts from the web, cURL is a powerful tool to have in your kit.

Got questions or run into issues? Drop a comment below, and I’ll help you out.

Mark Vincent

Tech enthusiast and content creator passionate about making technology simple for everyone. I share practical tips, guides, and reviews on the latest in computers, software, and gadgets. Let’s explore the digital world together!