DEV Community

Cover image for How to Install Amazon Q CLI on Windows
Fidelis Ikoroje
Fidelis Ikoroje

Posted on

How to Install Amazon Q CLI on Windows

#q #cli #webdev #aws

Amazon Q CLI is part of Amazon Q Developer, a powerful generative AI assistant that helps you build, troubleshoot, and understand code directly from your terminal. It integrates with your local development environment, enabling you to ask questions, generate boilerplate code, fix bugs, and even explain complex logic — all from the command line.

While Amazon Q is primarily available in the AWS Management Console and VS Code (via AWS Toolkit), you can also interact with it via the AWS CLI. Whether you're working in Python, JavaScript, Java, or other languages, Amazon Q is designed to boost your productivity as a developer.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to install and set up the Amazon Q Command Line Interface (CLI) on a Windows machine using a smooth and reliable process. Alternatively, I have included a video walkthrough of this installation and where I used Amazon Q Developer to build an arcade game.

Steps to Install Amazon Q CLI on Windows

Step 1. Install WSL ( Windows Subsystem for Linux)

Run the following command in PowerShell. wsl --install or wsl --distrubution Ubuntu enables the WSL feature on Windows. It enables the Virtual Machine Platform required for WSL and sets up Ubuntu by default, unless you specify another distro. The command is equivalent to dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart)

wsl --install
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Note: The system will ask you to choose a username and password. Ensure you remember your password.

Ubuntu Installed

Step 2: Start Ubuntu in WSL

This command runs a Linux shell session inside Ubuntu, right from Windows

wsl -d Ubuntu
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Step 3: Install unzip from your home directory 

cd ~
sudo apt install unzip
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Step 4: Download Amazon Q CLI Installer 

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf "https://desktop-release.q.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/latest/q-x86_64-linux.zip" -o "q.zip"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Step 5: Unzip the Installer, Setup & Run 

unzip q.zip
cd q
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Step 6: Reload & login

Optionally reload the shell with updates path setting and use your AWS Builder ID credentials to log in to use AWS Q Developer free version.

bash
q login
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

q login

Note: To use the Pro version of Amazon Q Developer, you need to have AWS IAM Identity Center configured, and ensure the user is subscribed to Amazon Q Developer under your AWS organization

Step 7: Start Amazon Q Developer 

q chat
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

q chat live

Tips for Using Amazon Q CLI

  • Run q in any project folder to start chatting with Amazon Q about your codebase.
  • You can ask things like: -- “Explain what this function does” -- “Fix this error” -- “Write a Python script to sort JSON data.”
  • Combine it with VS Code + WSL for a full AI-enhanced dev experience. Run the command below to use it in VS Code. Ensure you install the Microsoft WSL VS Code Extension. 
mkdir -p ~/project/amazonq_game
cd ~/project/aws_amazonq_game
code .
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Amazon A CLI in VS Code

🧠 Things to Know About Amazon Q CLI

  • Amazon Q CLI is still evolving — you may need to sign into your AWS account for access.
  • It supports multiple languages (Python, JavaScript, Java, TypeScript, etc.)
  • It works best when run inside your project folder
  • There are GUI versions too, but the CLI version is perfect for terminal lovers and power users

Video Guide

Game Development with Amazon Q CLI

✅ Conclusion

Installing Amazon Q CLI on Windows is straightforward once you have the right files and path setup. With the CLI installed, you get a smart AI pair programmer right inside your terminal. Whether you're building apps, debugging, or exploring unfamiliar code, Amazon Q helps you work faster and smarter — without leaving your shell.

Top comments (0)