Download Positron

Download and install Positron for Windows, macOS, or Linux. Free data science IDE supporting Python and R, with prerequisites, setup instructions, and automatic updates.

Download the desktop installer for your platform. Most systems need nothing else, but you can check the prerequisites to be sure.

All platforms

By downloading and using Positron, you agree to the Positron license agreement and privacy policy.

macOS 11.0+

Apple Silicon
(M-series)

997M

Intel

1009M

Windows

x64 (Windows 10+)

User install

499M

System install

499M

ARM64 (Windows 11)

User install

489M

System install

489M

Linux

x64

.deb (Ubuntu, Debian)

569M

.rpm (Red Hat, Fedora)

653M

ARM64

.deb (Ubuntu, Debian)

534M

.rpm (Red Hat, Fedora)

614M

SHA-256 checksums
Platform Installer Size SHA-256
Windows 10, 11 x64 (system level install) Positron-2026.08.1-2-Setup-x64.exe 499M d466795
Windows 10, 11 x64 (user level install) Positron-2026.08.1-2-UserSetup-x64.exe 499M ea67b92
Windows 11 arm64 (system level install) Positron-2026.08.1-2-Setup-arm64.exe 489M 12690ad
Windows 11 arm64 (user level install) Positron-2026.08.1-2-UserSetup-arm64.exe 489M 2e65f74
MacOS 11.0+ (arm64/Apple Silicon) Positron-2026.08.1-2-arm64.dmg 997M 538b8ed
MacOS 11.0+ (x64/Intel) Positron-2026.08.1-2-x64.dmg 1009M 8f023df
Debian-based Linux x64 (Ubuntu 20+) Positron-2026.08.1-2-x64.deb 569M e307d37
Debian-based Linux arm64 (Ubuntu 20+) Positron-2026.08.1-2-arm64.deb 534M 78ccb9b
Red Hat-based Linux x64 (RHEL9) Positron-2026.08.1-2-x64.rpm 653M 1b8d889
Red Hat-based Linux arm64 (RHEL9) Positron-2026.08.1-2-arm64.rpm 614M 948370d

Prerequisites

In most cases, Positron is ready to go as soon as it is installed. Check the section for your platform or language to see if you need anything more.

Windows setup

If you’re using Windows, make sure you have the latest Visual C++ Redistributable installed.

Optional language setup

Positron runs without any programming language installed. If you plan to use R or Python, follow these steps to get your environment working.

Positron works with actively supported versions of Python.

If you do not have a valid Python version available, Positron can install one for you. If you prefer to use an existing environment, Positron supports the following Python environment managers:

  • venv: Standard library virtual environments created with python -m venv
  • uv: Virtual environments and Python installations managed by uv
  • pyenv: Python installations managed by pyenv, including virtual environments
  • conda: Conda environments created with conda create or mamba create, as well as pixi environments created with pixi init

Other tools might also be compatible, even if Positron does not officially support them. For the full list of requirements, see Python environment qualifications.

Ensure you have R 4.2 or higher installed. To install R, follow the instructions for your operating system.

Alternatively, if you’d like to have multiple R installations, rig is a great tool to manage this which works well with Positron.

If you’re an R package developer, you will also want to make sure that you have the current versions of certain R packages, all of which had recent updates to make them work more smoothly in Positron. Run one of the code snippets below to ensure that you are up-to-date:

# if you're a pak person (we are!)
pak::pak(c("usethis", "cli", "crayon", "rlang", "roxygen2", "pkgload"))

# or using base R
install.packages(c("usethis", "cli", "crayon", "rlang", "roxygen2", "pkgload"))
Note

If you’re a Windows user, note that Positron doesn’t bundle Rtools. If you need Rtools for your package development or other work, you can either use the official guidance from CRAN on installing Rtools and putting it on the PATH, or alternatively, use rig to install and set up Rtools:

rig system rtools add

Staying up to date

Once you install Positron, it will automatically check for updates moving forward.

NoteStay in the loop

Want to be notified about upcoming releases, new features, and community events? Sign up for Positron updates.

Positron Pro on Posit Workbench

Posit Workbench includes support for Positron Pro. To configure and use Positron Pro on Posit Workbench, please see the Posit Workbench Administration Guide and the Positron Pro user guide.