# Kubectl

## How do I install Kubectl?

| Reading time:           | 15 min              |
|-------------------------|---------------------|
| Last updated:           | 7 Aug 2026          |
| Ecosystem dashboard:     | [View](https://developer.arm.com/ecosystem-dashboard/linux?package=Kubernetes) |

This guide shows you how to install and use the tool with the most common configuration. For advanced options and complete reference information, see the official documentation. Some install guides also include optional next steps to help you explore related workflows or integrations.

The Kubernetes command-line tool, [kubectl](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/kubectl/), allows you to run commands against Kubernetes clusters.

`kubectl` is available for Windows, macOS, Linux and supports the Arm architecture.

## What should I consider before installing kubectl for Ubuntu on Arm?

[General installation information](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/) is available which covers all supported operating systems, but it doesn’t talk about Arm.

This article provides a quick solution to install `kubectl` for Ubuntu on Arm.

Confirm you are using an Arm machine by running:

```
uname -m
```

The output should be:

```
__output__ aarch64
```

If you see a different result, you are not using an Arm computer running 64-bit Linux.

## How do I download and Install kubectl for Ubuntu on Arm?

The easiest way to install `kubectl` for Ubuntu on Arm is to use curl and copy the executable to a common location.

To install curl, for example on ubuntu:

```
sudo apt install -y curl
```

Download and install the latest version of `kubectl`. There is just 1 executable to copy to the desired location.

```
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/linux/arm64/kubectl"
```

If you have sudo or root access, install the executable in a common location for all users.

```
sudo install -o root -g root -m 0755 kubectl /usr/local/bin/kubectl
```

If you do not have sudo or root permission, add executable permission and add the location to the `$PATH` environment variable.

```
chmod +x kubectl
export PATH=$PATH:$HOME
```

Confirm the executable is available and get the version of the client:

```
kubectl version -o json --client
```

You are ready to use the Kubernetes command-line tool, `kubectl`.