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John Ajera
John Ajera

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Install PlatformIO Core (CLI) on Windows

#platformio #embedded #iot #python

Install PlatformIO Core (CLI) on Windows

PlatformIO Core is the command-line tool that powers the popular PlatformIO IDE extension — and you can install it without VS Code.

This guide shows how to install PlatformIO Core using Python and pip.

1. Install Python 3

If you don’t have Python 3 yet, follow this guide to install Python via winget or use the official installer.

Verify it works:

python --version
pip --version
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2. Install PlatformIO Core via pip

Run:

pip install platformio
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This downloads and installs the latest PlatformIO Core CLI globally.

3. Verify Installation

Check that it’s available:

pio --version
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You should see something like:

PlatformIO Core, version 6.x.x
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4. Upgrade in the Future

To update PlatformIO Core to the latest release:

pip install -U platformio
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Why Use PlatformIO CLI?

✅ Works without VS Code (headless / CI friendly)

✅ Supports all PlatformIO features — project init, build, upload, monitor

✅ Easy to keep up to date with pip

✅ Same environment used by PlatformIO IDE extension

You’re now ready to create projects, compile firmware, and upload code — all from the terminal using pio.

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