Subha Mondal

Posted on May 24 • Edited on Jun 5

🚀 How to Install Amazon Q CLI on Windows (Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners)

#aws #amazonqcli #cli #linux

“Wish you could use Amazon Q CLI on Windows natively? You're not alone! Here's a simple workaround that gets you up and running in no time.”

If you're a Windows user eager to explore the power of Amazon Q Developer CLI, you might be wondering—

"Is it even possible to install this on Windows?"

Well, the good news is: Yes, you can!

While Amazon Q CLI doesn’t offer a native Windows installer yet, this guide will walk you through how to effortlessly install and run it on Windows using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux).

Let’s dive in! 💡

🧰 Prerequisites: Setting Up WSL on Windows

Before we dive into Amazon Q CLI, make sure WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) is installed and set up on your machine.

✅ Already have WSL? Great! Skip to the next section.

❓ Need help installing WSL and setting up Ubuntu?

👉 Check out this step-by-step WSL installation guide on my blog

Once you have WSL installed and a Linux distribution like Ubuntu set up, you’re ready to go!

🛡️ STEP 1: Sign Up for Your AWS Builder ID

Before anything else, you’ll need an AWS Builder ID to access Amazon Q CLI and claim your personalized developer handle on community.aws.

👉 Sign up and claim your username here

After signing up:

Save your login details
Note your community.aws username
You're now officially part of the AWS developer community! 🎉

⚙️ STEP 2: Install Amazon Q CLI in WSL (Ubuntu)

With WSL running, let’s install Amazon Q CLI step by step:

✅ Open Ubuntu via CMD

wsl -d Ubuntu

If it's your first launch, it will prompt you to set a username and password.

✅ Go to Your Ubuntu Home Directory

cd
pwd  # Should return something like /home/your-username

✅ Download the Amazon Q CLI Installer

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://desktop-release.codewhisperer.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/latest/q-x86_64-linux-musl.zip -o q.zip

✅ Install Required Package

sudo apt install unzip

This installs the unzip utility required for the next step.

Now, It will ask for password which you have created during setup Ubuntu. Just type that password and hit Enter.

✅ Unzip the Installer

unzip q.zip

Basically, It creates a folder named q.

✅ Make Installer Executable & Install

cd q
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

Answer "Yes" when asked to modify your shell config.
Select : "Use for Free with Builder ID"

Now You’ll be given a URL. Open it in your browser, log in, and you're authenticated!

Check the follwing outputs -

✅ Amazon Q CLI is now installed on your Windows machine via WSL!

💬 STEP 3: Start Chatting with Amazon Q

To begin chatting with Amazon Q:

Simply close your current terminal window.
Reopen the terminal and launch Ubuntu using: wsl -d Ubuntu

Just open Ubuntu directly from the Start menu like any other application.

Once you're in, run:

q chat

You're now ready to interact with Amazon Q right from your terminal!.

Start a chat session with Amazon Q CLI as per your needs.

To exit the chat, type /q.

To leave WSL, type:

exit

📺 Watch the Video Tutorial

Prefer watching instead of reading? Check out my step-by-step YouTube tutorial:

🎯 Conclusion

Amazon Q CLI unlocks a powerful AI assistant, and with WSL, Windows users can join the party too!

Whether you're writing code, getting suggestions, or automating tasks—Amazon Q Developer CLI brings it all to your terminal.

Now that you’ve got everything installed, go ahead and supercharge your coding workflow!