Clink combines the native Windows shell cmd.exe with the powerful command line editing features of the GNU Readline library, which provides rich completion, history, and line-editing capabilities. Readline is best known for its use in the well-known Unix shell Bash, the standard shell for Mac OS X and many Linux distributions.
Publisher’s description
What is Clink?
Clink is an open-source terminals & cli tool program for Windows from Christopher Antos. It ranks 32nd by popularity among terminals & cli tools in this catalogue. It is written in C++.
Installation and requirements
Official installers exist for 64-bit and 32-bit as EXE (NSIS). Installation asks for administrator rights. The installer supports unattended (silent) installation.
Updates and version history
The current version is 1.9.35, released on October 25, 2026. 157 versions are listed since March 13, 2022, each with links to its own installer files. That is about 34 releases a year. The last update is less than a month old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 91,769 times. The source code on GitHub (chrisant996/clink) has 5,551 stars. Similar programs include PowerShell, Oh My Posh and QPDF.
Project description on GitHub: “Bash's powerful command line editing in cmd.exe”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Frequent updates (about 34 a year)
- Large user base
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- Installation needs administrator rights
In short: Clink is an open-source terminals & cli tool tool for 64-bit and 32-bit PCs. It is actively maintained. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is Clink safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
D32BDBC7F1D603B15EE90CB7FEC5CD355DFA96E699DE3931B7FC499D48BC26FE· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Recent versions
All 157 versions ›157 versions over 5 years · about 34 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.9.35Latest | October 25, 2026 | — | 32-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 1.9.34 | September 21, 2026 | — | 32-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 1.9.33 | September 14, 2026 | — | 32-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 1.9.32 | August 24, 2026 | — | 32-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 1.9.31 | July 27, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)32-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 1.9.30 | July 20, 2026 | — | 32-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 1.9.29 | July 11, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)32-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 1.9.28 | June 25, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)32-bit EXE (NSIS) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id chrisant996.Clink -echoco install clink-maintained -yscoop install main/clinkclink.1.9.35.fa48d0_setup.exe /SRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Publisher
- Christopher Antos
- Category
- Terminals & CLI tools
- Licence
- GPL-3.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/chrisant996/clink
- Written in
- C++
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit, 32-bit
- Installer
- EXE (NSIS)
- Version
- 1.9.35
- Released
- October 25, 2026
- Added to the catalogue
- March 14, 2022
- Versions listed
- 157
- Updates / year
- 34
- Chocolatey downloads
- 91,769
- GitHub stars
- 5,551
- GitHub forks
- 211
- Website
- chrisant996.github.io
- winget ID
- chrisant996.Clink
- Chocolatey package
- clink-maintained
- Scoop package
- main/clink
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Clink free?
Yes. Clink is open-source software under the GPL-3.0 licence.
Is Clink safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install Clink with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can Clink be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does Clink run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit and 32-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of Clink?
The versions page lists all 157 versions with links to their official installer files, back to March 13, 2022.
What are alternatives to Clink?
PowerShell, Oh My Posh, QPDF, Alacritty and ConEmu. The alternatives page compares them.
