restic is a free and open-source backup program designed to be fast, efficient and secure. It supports encrypted, deduplicated backups to local storage and a range of remote storage backends.
The software is written in Go and is distributed under the BSD 2-Clause License.
restic creates backups as snapshots, allowing users to restore either whole backups or selected files from previous points in time. Backup repositories may be stored locally, on remote servers, or on supported cloud and object-storage services.
restic supports the major desktop and server operating systems, including Linux, macOS and Microsoft Windows, as well as several BSD systems.
restic is primarily a command-line backup utility. It does not include a built-in scheduler, central management console or bare-metal restore system; these functions are commonly handled using external tools or wrappers.
What is restic?
restic by restic is open-source Windows software in the backup & recovery category. It ranks 2nd by popularity among backup & recovery in this catalogue. It is written in Go.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides Portable installers for 64-bit and 32-bit Windows. It runs without installation (portable).
Updates and version history
The current version is 0.19.1, released on July 5, 2026. The version history goes back to January 30, 2023: 14 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 4.1 releases a year.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 23,738 times. The source code on GitHub (restic/restic) has 36,723 stars. Wikipedia has an article about it in 2 of our languages. Similar programs include TeraCopy, UrBackup Client and Duplicacy Command Line Version.
Project description on GitHub: “Fast, secure, efficient backup program”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Portable: runs without installation
- Large user base
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
In short: restic is an open-source backup & recovery tool for 64-bit and 32-bit PCs. It is actively maintained.
Is restic 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:
DA948AD707ED690426473AABA2046CD61F8F90F6F0E7DAB6BE0D5796531DE67D· 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
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the restic/restic repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- No dangerous workflows10
- Actively maintained10
- No binaries in the repository10
- Fuzzing10
- Licence declared10
- Published packages10
- Restricted token permissions9
- Signed releases8
- Code review6
- Pinned dependencies3
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Security policy0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 14 versions ›14 versions over 3 years · about 4.1 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.19.1Latest | July 5, 2026 | — | 32-bit ZIP64-bit ZIP |
| 0.19.0 | June 9, 2026 | — | 64-bit ZIP32-bit ZIP |
| 0.18.1 | September 21, 2025 | — | 32-bit ZIP64-bit ZIP |
| 0.18.0 | March 27, 2025 | — | 64-bit ZIP32-bit ZIP |
| 0.17.3 | November 8, 2024 | — | 64-bit ZIP32-bit ZIP |
| 0.17.2 | October 27, 2024 | — | 32-bit ZIP64-bit ZIP |
| 0.17.1 | September 5, 2024 | — | 64-bit ZIP32-bit ZIP |
| 0.17.0 | July 26, 2024 | — | 64-bit ZIP32-bit ZIP |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id restic.restic -echoco install restic -yProgram files (.exe): restic.exe
Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Publisher
- restic
- Category
- Backup & recovery
- Licence
- BSD-2-Clause
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/restic/restic
- Written in
- Go
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit, 32-bit
- Installer
- Portable
- Version
- 0.19.1
- Released
- July 5, 2026
- Added to the catalogue
- March 8, 2023
- Versions listed
- 14
- Updates / year
- 4.1
- Chocolatey downloads
- 23,738
- GitHub stars
- 36,723
- GitHub forks
- 1,933
- Website
- github.com
- winget ID
- restic.restic
- Chocolatey package
- restic
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is restic free?
Yes. restic is open-source software under the BSD-2-Clause licence.
Is restic 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 restic 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.
Does restic 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 restic?
The versions page lists all 14 versions with links to their official installer files, back to January 30, 2023.
Can I use restic without administrator rights?
Yes, it is portable: unpack and run it.
What are alternatives to restic?
TeraCopy, UrBackup Client, Duplicacy Command Line Version, Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows and Recuva. The alternatives page compares them.
