How to install a program from GitHub without knowing how to code

Many free and open-source programs are distributed through GitHub, a site built for programmers to store and share code. You do not need to know how to code to use what is there, but you do need to know where to click, because a project's page shows the code first, not the ready-made program.

This guide walks you through it: where the program is, which file to download for your system, what the Windows and Mac warnings mean and which shortcuts are easiest.

First things first: the right repository

Make sure you are on the project's official repository and not on a copy. When in doubt, start from the program's official website and follow its link to GitHub. The guide How to find a GitHub project's official repository and avoid fake copies shows what to check.

Find the Releases page

On the repository page, the green “Code” button and its “Download ZIP” option download the source code, not the ready-made program. If you do not code, that is almost never what you want.

The ready-made program is on the Releases page, the list of published versions. It appears in the repository's right-hand column, under the name “Releases”, with the newest version marked “Latest”. You can also get there by adding /releases to the end of the repository's address.

Inside each version, scroll down to the “Assets” list. That is where the files to download are. Two of them, “Source code (zip)” and “Source code (tar.gz)”, appear in every version and are the source code again, not the installer.

If the version at the top is marked “Pre-release”, it is a test version that may have bugs. For everyday use, prefer the one marked “Latest”.

Which file to download for your system

A file's name usually tells you the system and the type of processor, and the end of the name, the extension, tells you the type of file:

• Windows: .exe or .msi. An .msi is always an installer. An .exe can be an installer or the program itself, which runs without installing (sometimes called “portable”). A .zip with “windows” or “win” in its name usually holds the version without an installer: just extract the folder and open the program.
• Mac: .dmg. Open the file and drag the app into the Applications folder. Some projects use .pkg, which is an installer with steps, like the ones on Windows.
• Linux: .AppImage, .deb or Flatpak. An .AppImage is a single file that runs without installing: give it permission to run as a program in the file's properties and open it. A .deb is the package for Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint and similar distributions; Fedora and openSUSE use .rpm. Flatpak usually comes through Flathub, covered further down.

After the system, check the processor, which is usually in the file's name too:

• x64, x86_64 or amd64: most computers with Windows or Linux, and Macs with an Intel processor.
• arm64 or aarch64: Macs with an Apple chip (M1 and later) and some laptops with an ARM processor.
• universal: on Mac, works on both kinds.

Still unsure? The README, the introduction text shown below the repository's files, often has an “Installation” or “Download” section that says which file to use on each system.

The Windows and Mac warnings

The first time you open a program downloaded from the internet, your system may show a warning. That is common, and it is worth understanding why before you decide anything.

On Windows, SmartScreen, a protection built into the system, shows a blue window titled “Windows protected your PC”. It appears when Windows does not recognize the program yet: the file is new, few people have downloaded it or it lacks a digital signature the system knows. Many small open-source projects do not pay for that signature, so the warning is frequent. It does not mean the program has a virus, but it does not say it is free of one either.

On Mac, Gatekeeper, the macOS protection, may say the app comes from an unidentified developer or that Apple could not verify it is free of malware. That happens when the app has not gone through Apple's check, called notarization, which is also common for small projects. Sometimes the warning says the app “is damaged”. This usually comes from the quarantine macOS applies to apps downloaded from the internet that have not been notarized, not from an incomplete download. In that case, prefer a notarized version of the app, if the project offers one, or installing it through a package manager, such as Homebrew, below.

In neither case is the answer to turn off the system's protection. Before going any further, step back and check where the file came from:

• did the file come from the official repository's Releases page?
• does the file's name match what the project's README tells you to download?
• does the project mention this warning in its README or Issues? Many explain why it appears.

If any answer is “no” or “I don't know”, stop here: delete the file and look for the program through one of the easier routes below, or pick another project. If everything matches, the decision to open it is yours, with the source checked.

Easier routes

Instead of hunting for the right file on the Releases page, you can install many programs through a package manager: a catalog that downloads and installs the program for you and then helps keep it up to date.

• winget, on Windows. It comes with Windows 11 and recent versions of Windows 10. You type a command in the Terminal, such as “winget install” followed by the program's name. winget downloads the installer from the address registered in its catalog and checks that the downloaded file is the same one that was registered.
• Homebrew, on Mac. It has to be installed once, following the instructions on its official website. After that, apps with a window are installed with “brew install --cask” followed by the name.
• Flathub, on Linux. It is the main store for Flatpak apps. On some distributions, such as Linux Mint, it already shows up in the software center and installing takes one click; on others, you turn Flathub on once. For many apps, Flathub shows a verified badge when the publisher is the project itself.

These routes do not replace your own care, but they give you a second reference: the program is in a well-known catalog, with its source in plain sight.

When there is no installer

Not every GitHub project is a ready-made program. Many are made for people who code: the Releases page has no file for your system, or does not exist at all, and the README tells you to install tools such as Python, Node.js or Docker and run commands in the terminal. That means the project needs setting up.

Setting it up is not impossible, but it takes time and some familiarity with the terminal. If you just want to use the program, you are better off choosing one that comes ready.

That is what the ease grade on every card on this site is for. It tells you, system by system, whether you can just download and open the program or need to install other tools first. The letters go from A, “download and open”, to E, “developers only”.

Where to go next

To see only the programs you can use without setting anything up, open the Ready to use tab on the home page and filter by your system. Each card shows the ease grade, what else you need to install and the risk signals found.