MSYS2 Installer

TheMSYS2 installer can be used toset up an initial MSYS2 environment. For further updating pacman is used. Seethe updating guide for more information.

The installer comes in four variants:

• msys2-x86_64-.exe: The GUI installer (see screenshot above)
• msys2-base-x86_64-*.sfx.exe: Just the files in a self extracting archive (missing Windows integration like shortcuts, uninstall entry, but otherwise works the same)
• msys2-base-x86_64-*.tar.zst: Same as.sfx.exe but as an ZSTD archive
• msys2-base-x86_64-*.tar.xz: Same as.sfx.exe but as an XZ archive (deprecated)

The installer executables and tarballs are hosted onGitHub as well as on therepo server. We also providenightlybuilds.

CLI Usage Examples

The GUI installer utilizes theQt InstallerFramework which also offers CLIoptions for automation.

Installing the GUI installer via the CLI toC:\msys64:

.\msys2-x86_64-latest.exein--confirm-command--accept-messages--rootC:/msys64

Uninstalling an existing installation inC:\msys64 via the CLI:

C:\msys64\uninstall.exepr--confirm-command

Installing the self extracting archive toC:\msys64:

.\msys2-base-x86_64-latest.sfx.exe-y-oC:\

FAQ

What's the difference between the installer and the archives?

The installer provides some additional features such as installing shortcuts, registering an uninstaller, a GUI for selecting the installation path and automatically running a login shell at the end to initialize the MSYS2 environment.

If you unpack the archives and run a login shell once, you will get a functionally equivalent MSYS2 installation.

What is contained in the installer/archives?

It contains thebase package and all its dependencies. You can list the contained packages using:pactree base -lu | sort

How can I verify the basic integrity of the downloaded files?

You can download the expected checksum by appending.sha256 to each download URL. You can verify that the downloaded file matches the checksum by computing the checksum either with Powershell:

(Get-FileHash-AlgorithmSHA256-Path.\msys2-x86_64-20230526.exe).Hash.toLower()432dcc8b5cc7d5104a85b52df8b1e77cdf91018e102ac7aa998248637d636229

or with 7-Zip, if you have it installed:

• Right clicking onmsys2-x86_64-20230526.exe
• Go into the "7-Zip" and then "CRC SHA" sub menu, and finally click on "SHA-256"
• 7-Zip will pop up a window containing the checksum

Compare the result with the content of "https://github.com/msys2/msys2-installer/releases/download/2023-05-26/msys2-x86_64-20230526.exe.sha256" to verify that your local file matches the checksum.

How can I verify that the downloaded files were generated by MSYS2 developers?

The installer is signed using the following key:

0EBF 782C 5D53 F7E5 FB02 A667 46BD 761F 7A49 B0EC

You can download the signature by appending a.sig to all download URLs.

Verification example:

$gpg--keyserverkeyserver.ubuntu.com--recv"0EBF 782C 5D53 F7E5 FB02  A667 46BD 761F 7A49 B0EC"gpg: key 46BD761F7A49B0EC: public key "Christoph Reiter <reiter.christoph@gmail.com>" importedgpg: Total number processed: 1gpg:               imported: 1$lsmsys2-x86_64-20230526.exe  msys2-x86_64-20230526.exe.sig$gpg--verifymsys2-x86_64-20230526.exe.siggpg: assuming signed data in 'msys2-x86_64-20230526.exe'gpg: Signature made Fr 26 Mai 2023 11:46:54 CESTgpg:                using RSA key E0AA0F031DBD80FFBA57B06D5A62D0CAB6264964gpg: Good signature from "Christoph Reiter <reiter.christoph@gmail.com>" [unknown]gpg: WARNING: This key is not certified with a trusted signature!gpg:          There is no indication that the signature belongs to the owner.Primary key fingerprint: 0EBF 782C 5D53 F7E5 FB02  A667 46BD 761F 7A49 B0EC     Subkey fingerprint: E0AA 0F03 1DBD 80FF BA57  B06D 5A62 D0CA B626 4964

For the signature to be valid, gnupg has to print "Good signature"and the primary fingerprint shown has to match0EBF 782C 5D53 F7E5 FB02 A667 46BD 761F 7A49 B0EC.

Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevents me from running the installer

Depending on the age of the installer release and how many people have alreadyused it successfully, Windows will show a SmartScreen warning, preventing youfrom running the installer.

You can skip this warning by first clicking on "More info" and then on "Runanyway".