The following guide will walk you through the process of installing Rust on different operating systems. Rust is a modern systems programming language focused on safety, speed, and concurrency.

Prerequisites

  • An internet connection for downloading the installation files
  • Administrative access to your computer (for installing software)
  • For Windows: Windows 7 or later
  • For macOS: macOS 10.7 Lion or later
  • For Linux: Linux kernel 2.6.18 or later

Installing Rust on Linux or macOS

Step 1: Open the Terminal

First, open your terminal application:

  • On macOS: Open "Terminal" from Applications > Utilities
  • On Linux: Open your terminal application (varies by distribution)

Step 2: Run the Installation Script

Copy and paste the following command into your terminal and press Enter:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh

This command downloads an installation script and runs it. The script will:

  1. Download the rustup tool
  2. Install the latest stable version of Rust
  3. Configure your PATH environment variable

Step 3: Follow the On-screen Instructions

You'll be presented with installation options. For most users, the default option (1) is recommended.

Step 4: Configure Your Current Shell

After installation completes, you'll need to configure your current shell. Run:

source "$HOME/.cargo/env"

Alternatively, you can close and reopen your terminal.

Step 5: Install a C Compiler (if needed)

Rust uses a linker to join compiled outputs. You may already have one, but if you encounter linker errors:

  • On macOS: Install the Xcode Command Line Tools: 
xcode-select --install

  • On Linux: Install GCC or Clang:

    • Ubuntu/Debian: 
    sudo apt install build-essential
    • Fedora: 
    sudo dnf install gcc
    • Arch Linux: 
    sudo pacman -S base-devel

Installing Rust on Windows

Step 1: Download the Rust Installer

  1. Go to https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install
  2. The website should automatically detect your operating system and offer the appropriate download option
  3. Click the download button to get the rustup-init.exe file

Step 2: Run the Installer

  1. Open the downloaded rustup-init.exe file
  2. A command prompt window will appear with installation options
  3. For most users, select the default installation option (1)

Step 3: Install Visual Studio Components (if prompted)

During installation, you might be prompted to install Visual Studio C++ build tools. This is required as Rust needs a linker and Windows-specific libraries:

  1. If prompted, follow the link to the Visual Studio installer
  2. Make sure "Desktop Development with C++" is selected
  3. Complete the Visual Studio components installation
  4. Return to the Rust installer and continue

Step 4: Complete the Installation

Once the installation is complete, close and reopen any command prompt windows to ensure the new PATH settings take effect.

Verifying Your Installation

To verify that Rust is installed correctly:

  1. Open a terminal (Linux/macOS) or command prompt (Windows)
  2. Run the following command: 
rustc --version
  1. You should see output similar to: 
rustc x.y.z (abcabcabc yyyy-mm-dd)

Where x.y.z is the version number

If you see this information, congratulations! Rust is successfully installed.

Troubleshooting

If the rustc --version command isn't recognized, check that Rust is in your PATH:

  • Windows CMD: Run echo %PATH%
  • Windows PowerShell: Run echo $env:Path
  • Linux/macOS: Run echo $PATH

Make sure the directory containing Rust binaries (typically ~/.cargo/bin on Linux/macOS or %USERPROFILE%\.cargo\bin on Windows) is listed in the output.

Updating Rust

To update to the latest version of Rust, open a terminal or command prompt and run:

rustup update

Uninstalling Rust

If you need to uninstall Rust, run:

rustup self uninstall

Accessing Documentation

Rust includes local documentation that you can access offline:

rustup doc

This command opens the local Rust documentation in your web browser.

Next Steps

Now that you have Rust installed, you can:

  1. Create your first Rust project: cargo new hello_world
  2. Navigate to the project directory: cd hello_world
  3. Build and run your project: cargo run

Congratulations! You've successfully installed Rust and are ready to start programming.

Getting Help

If you encounter issues, the Rust community offers several resources: