- FRC Game Manual
- FRC Game Q&A

# WPILib Installation Guide

This guide will walk you through installing the WPILib development environment on your computer. This includes the WPILib tools, Visual Studio Code, and all dependencies needed to develop and deploy code to the roboRIO. WPILib Installation is required for Java and C++ teams. LabVIEW teams can skip to Installing LabVIEW for FRC (LabVIEW only). Python teams can do a full install per these instructions to get a Visual Studio Code environment with some python extensions, or do a tools only installation to install dashboards such as Shuffleboard and Elastic. Python teams additionally need to follow the Python Installation Guide.

## Prerequisites

Supported Operating Systems and Architectures:

  - Windows 10 & 11, 64 bit only. 32 bit and Arm are not supported

  - Ubuntu 22.04 & 24.04, 64 bit. Other Linux distributions with glibc >= 2.34 may work, but are unsupported

  - macOS 13.3 or higher, both Intel and Arm.

Warning

The following OSes are no longer supported: macOS 12 or earlier, Ubuntu 18.04 & 20.04, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and any 32-bit Windows.

Note

Windows 10 support from Microsoft ended in October 2025. We intend to continue supporting Windows 10 through the 2026 season, but may have to drop support in 2027. Teams should start planning their upgrade path to Windows 11, or switch to one of the supported Linux distributions listed.

Note

C++ compilation is memory intensive. A minimum of 32 GB of RAM is recommended for C++ teams.

This tutorial shows Windows 11, but the steps are identical for all operating systems. Notes differentiating operating systems will be shown.

WPILib is designed to install to different folders for different years, so that it is not necessary to uninstall a previous version before installing this year’s WPILib.

## Downloading

WPILib Installer

WPILib 2026.2.1 Release - January 16, 2026

Downloads

Downloads for other platforms

Release Notes

This is an update release of WPILib for the 2026 season. This release adds 2026 season-specific field images and AprilTag information as well as a handful of other minor improvements and fixes. This upgrade is recommended for all teams.

Upgrading from earlier 2026 releases is easy: simply download and run the new installer and it will update your current installation. If you already have the 2026 WPILib vscode installed, it will detect it and you can simply click "next" for that installation step. After installation, vscode will prompt you when opening your robot project whether you want to upgrade it to this version. Note that using the installer is required to get the new version of desktop tools such as Elastic and AdvantageScope. This release is compatible with the kickoff release of the RoboRIO image, so there is no need to upgrade the RIO image if you have already done so for 2026.

The documentation for WPILib is located at https://docs.wpilib.org/ (if you have trouble accessing this location, https://frcdocs.wpi.edu/en/stable/ is an alternate location with the same content).

If you're new to FRC, start with Getting Started.

System Requirements: WPILib requires 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 (Arm and 32-bit are not supported), Ubuntu 22.04 or later, or macOS 13.3 or later. C++ teams should note that the latest version of Visual Studio 2022 is required for desktop builds. Mac users will need to have the Xcode Command Line Tools installed before running the installer. This can be done by running `xcode-select --install` in the Terminal.

If you're returning from a previous season, check out what's new for 2026. You will need a new RoboRIO image for 2026; this is available via the FRC 2026 Game Tools. Follow the WPILib installation guide to install WPILib.

If you're starting from a 2025 robot project, you will need to import your project to create a 2026 project. The import process is important, as it will make a few automated corrections for some breaking changes that happened in 2026. It is also necessary to import vendor libraries again, since last year’s vendor libraries must be updated to be compatible with this year’s projects.

A complete list of known issues with this release can be found here.

WPILib is developed by a small team of volunteers and the FIRST community.

## Downloads

- Windows (2.4 GB)
- Mac (Arm) (2.2 GB)
- Mac (Intel) (2.3 GB)
- Linux (x64) (2.8 GB)
- Linux (arm64) (2.4 GB)

## What's Changed since 2026.1.1

### WPILib

- Add 2026 game specifics by @Kevin-OConnor in https://github.com/wpilibsuite/allwpilib/pull/8558

### Math

- Fix Rotation3d interpolation and document extrinsic vs intrinsic by @KangarooKoala in https://github.com/wpilibsuite/allwpilib/pull/8544
- Add multi tap boolean stream filter and multi tap trigger modifier (double tap detector) by @MichaelLesirge in https://github.com/wpilibsuite/allwpilib/pull/8307

### SysID

- Fix crash on partially empty raw data by @calcmogul in https://github.com/wpilibsuite/allwpilib/pull/8572

### Elastic

- Upgraded to 2026.1.1 (see https://github.com/Gold872/elastic-dashboard/releases/tag/v2026.1.1)

### VS Code

- Improve robustness of preferences file detection by @sciencewhiz in https://github.com/wpilibsuite/vscode-wpilib/pull/839

### Installer

- Fix typo in RoboRIO Team Number Setter shortcut by @sciencewhiz in https://github.com/wpilibsuite/WPILibInstaller-Avalonia/pull/595
- Catch download failures and show URL by @sciencewhiz in https://github.com/wpilibsuite/WPILibInstaller-Avalonia/pull/596
- No longer install Python VS Code extensions by @sciencewhiz in https://github.com/wpilibsuite/WPILibInstaller-Avalonia/pull/600

## New Contributors

- @doleksy made their first contribution in https://github.com/wpilibsuite/allwpilib/pull/8567

Full Changelog: https://github.com/wpilibsuite/allwpilib/compare/v2026.1.1...v2026.2.1

### MD5 Hashes

`153de974a3ff2a0d53634effc70097c2 Linux/WPILib_Linux-2026.2.1.tar.gz
003cf4a76265c26104d3bbad7d685b14 LinuxArm64/WPILib_LinuxArm64-2026.2.1.tar.gz
ebdcd07dbbb60c628ab3a72bf280fe3b Win64/WPILib_Windows-2026.2.1.iso
a461b2b736ffa00fa781214c276d9ee2 macOS/WPILib_macOS-Intel-2026.2.1.dmg
0295103baf75cab0075ee255af744d00 macOSArm/WPILib_macOS-Arm64-2026.2.1.dmg`

### SHA256 Hashes

`c36591be0b5d1b753356543e0e672af9d91335fb26b5ffcba31cf05af829c656 Linux/WPILib_Linux-2026.2.1.tar.gz
b4ded5ba0b6cdcd64f0ba0da3c42220bb42e1bc4d8d373e5b28131185acff824 LinuxArm64/WPILib_LinuxArm64-2026.2.1.tar.gz
6dd86b714c41127c9ef7683b398dc21423cba7146e6868a97fefbd65a14429cb Win64/WPILib_Windows-2026.2.1.iso
3f725ff13c08ad61dd51f695e25b019e0e13474639f2db0f27f18f0d366022bb macOS/WPILib_macOS-Intel-2026.2.1.dmg
98c13566292993d3f32c0e0765430617f56c18d85d608115821442fefffe6dcb macOSArm/WPILib_macOS-Arm64-2026.2.1.dmg`

You can also download the latest release of the installer from GitHub.

Once on the GitHub releases page, scroll to the Downloads section.

Then click on the correct binary for your OS and architecture to begin the download.

## Extracting the Installer

When you download the WPILib installer, it is distributed as a disk image file `.iso` for Windows, `.tar.gz` for Linux, and distributed as a `DMG` for MacOS.

Windows 10+

Windows 10+ users can right click on the downloaded disk image and select Mount to open it. Then launch `WPILibInstaller.exe`.

Note

Other installed programs may associate with iso files and the mount option may not appear. If that software does not give the option to mount or extract the iso file, then follow the directions below.

You can use 7-zip to extract the disk image by right-clicking, selecting 7-Zip and selecting Extract to…. Windows 11 users may need to select Show more options at the bottom of the context menu.

After opening the `.iso` file, launch the installer by opening `WPILibInstaller.exe`.

Note

After launching the installer, Windows may display a window titled “Windows protected your PC”. Click More info, then select Run anyway to run the installer.

macOS

Note

Ensure you’ve ejected any previous WPILibInstaller images from the desktop before starting installation

macOS users can double click on the downloaded `dmg` and then select `WPILibInstaller` to launch the application.

If a warning is shown about WPILibInstaller being downloaded from the internet, select Open.

Linux

Linux users should extract the downloaded `.tar.gz` and then launch `WPILibInstaller`. Ubuntu treats executables in the file explorer as shared libraries, so double-clicking won’t run them. Run the following commands in a terminal instead with `<version>` replaced with the version you’re installing.

    $ tar -xf WPILib_Linux-<version>.tar.gz
    $ cd WPILib_Linux-<version>/
    $ ./WPILibInstaller

## Running the Installer

Upon opening the installer, you’ll be presented with the below screen. Go ahead and press Start.

This showcases a list of options included with the WPILib installation.

- Tools Only installs just the WPILib tools (SmartDashboard, Shuffleboard, RobotBuilder, OutlineViewer, PathWeaver, Glass, SysId, Data Log Tool, roboRIO Team Number Setter, AdvantageScope, Elastic, WPIcal) and JDK.

- Everything installs the full development environment (VS Code, extensions, all dependencies, C++ compiler and JDK), WPILib tools, and documentation

You will notice two buttons, Install for this User and Install for all Users. Install for this User only installs it on the current user account, and does not require administrator privileges. However, Install for all Users installs the tools for all system accounts and will require administrator access. Install for all Users is not an option for macOS and Linux.

Note

If you select Install for all Users, Windows will prompt for administrator access through UAC during installation.

Select the option that is appropriate for you, and you’ll presented with the following installation screen.

This next screen involves downloading VS Code. Unfortunately, due to licensing reasons, VS Code can not be bundled with the installer.

- Download for this computer only

  - This downloads VS Code only for the current platform, which is also the smallest download.

- Skip and don’t use VS Code

  - Skips installing VS Code. Useful for advanced installations or configurations. Generally not recommended.

- Select existing VS Code archive for offline install on this computer

  - Selecting this option will bring up a prompt allowing you to select a pre-existing zip file of VS Code that has been downloaded by the installer previously. This option does not let you select an already installed copy of VS Code on your machine.

- Create VS Code archives to share with other computers/OSes for offline install

  - This option downloads and saves a copy of VS Code for all platforms, which is useful for sharing with the installer for future offline installs.

Go ahead and select Download for this computer only. This will begin the download process and can take a bit depending on internet connectivity (it’s ~150MB). Once the download is done, select Next. You should be presented with a screen that looks similar to the one below.

Note

teams upgrading from Beta will already have a version of VS Code installed. However, it’s still recommended to select Download for this computer only to ensure the latest recommended version of VS Code is installed

After installation is complete, you will be presented with the finished screen.

Important

WPILib installs a separate version of VS Code. It does not use an already existing installation. Each year has it’s own copy of the tools appended with the year. IE: `WPILib VS Code 2026`. Please launch the WPILib VS Code and not a system installed copy!

Congratulations, the WPILib development environment and tooling is now installed on your computer! Press Finish to exit the installer.

## Post-Installation

Some operating systems require some final action to complete installation.

macOS

After installation, the installer opens the WPILib VS Code folder. Drag the VS Code application to the dock. Eject WPILibInstaller image from the desktop.

Linux

Some versions of Linux (e.g. Ubuntu 22.04 and later) require you to give the desktop shortcut the ability to launch. Right click on the desktop icon and select Allow Launching.

Ubuntu 23.10 and later disable the kernel user namespaces feature for unknown applications. This means that the sandboxing feature won’t work on the WPILib VS Code. To enable sandboxing for the WPILib applications, AppArmor profiles are provided, and can be installed using the command below.

    $ sudo cp ~/wpilib/YEAR/frccode/AppArmor/* /etc/apparmor.d/
    $ sudo systemctl reload apparmor.service

The above will fix the following error:

    The SUID sandbox helper binary was found, but is not configured correctly. Rather than run without sandboxing I'm aborting now. You need to make sure that ~/wpilib/2026/advantagescope/chrome-sandbox is owned by root and has mode 4755.

Note

Installing desktop tools and rebooting will create a folder on the desktop called `YYYY WPILib Tools`, where `YYYY` is the current year. Desktop tool shortcuts are not available on Linux and macOS.

## Additional C++ Installation for Simulation

C++ robot simulation requires that a native compiler to be installed. For Windows, this would be Visual Studio 2022 version 17.9 or later (not VS Code), macOS requires Xcode 14 or later, and Linux (Ubuntu) requires the `build-essential` package.

Ensure the Desktop Development with C++ option is checked in the Visual Studio installer for simulation support.

## What is Installed?

The Offline Installer installs the following components:

- Visual Studio Code - The supported IDE for 2019 and later robot code development. The offline installer sets up a separate copy of VS Code for WPILib development, even if you already have VS Code on your machine. This is done because some of the settings that make the WPILib setup work may break existing workflows if you use VS Code for other projects.

- C++ Compiler - The toolchains for building C++ code for the roboRIO

- Gradle - The specific version of Gradle used for building/deploying C++ or Java robot code

- Java JDK/JRE - A specific version of the Java JDK/JRE that is used to build Java robot code and to run any of the Java based Tools (Dashboards, etc.). This exists side by side with any existing JDK installs and does not overwrite the JAVA_HOME variable

- WPILib Tools - SmartDashboard, Shuffleboard, RobotBuilder, OutlineViewer, PathWeaver, Glass, SysId, Data Log Tool, roboRIO Team Number Setter, AdvantageScope, Elastic, WPIcal

- WPILib Dependencies - OpenCV, etc.

- VS Code Extensions - WPILib and Java/C++/Python extensions for robot code development in VS Code

- Documentation - Offline copies of this frc-docs documentation and Java/C++/Python APIs

Note

It’s not recommended to use the VS Code Backup and Settings Sync feature to sync settings between a regular VS Code installation and the FRC VS Code installation. This could lead to either installation being broken.

## Uninstalling

WPILib is designed to install to different folders for different years, so that it is not necessary to uninstall a previous version before installing this year’s WPILib. However, the following instructions can be used to uninstall WPILib if desired.

Windows

1. Delete the appropriate wpilib folder (`c:\Users\Public\wpilib\YYYY` where `YYYY` is the year to uninstall)

2. Delete the desktop icons at `C:\Users\Public\Public Desktop`

macOS

1. Delete the appropriate wpilib folder (`~/wpilib/YYYY` where `YYYY` is the year to uninstall)

Linux

1. Delete the appropriate wpilib folder (`~/wpilib/YYYY` where `YYYY` is the year to uninstall). eg `rm -rf ~/wpilib/YYYY`

## Troubleshooting

In case the installer fails, please open an issue on the installer repository. A link is available here. The installer should give a message on the cause of the error, please include this in the description of your issue.