Install rsync

Almost everyone should use their operating system's package manager. Building from source is further down this page, for the smaller number of people who need the very newest release or a build option their distribution does not ship.

First, check whether you already have it

rsync ships with most Unix-like systems. Before installing anything, ask the one you are on:

bash

$ rsync --version
rsync  version 3.4.4  protocol version 32

If that prints a version, you have rsync. The current release is 3.4.4; an older one will still work for everyday copying, and the release history says what you would gain by updating.

Linux

Every major distribution packages rsync. Use whichever line matches yours.

Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Raspberry Pi OS — sudo apt install rsync
Fedora, RHEL, Rocky, AlmaLinux — sudo dnf install rsync
Arch, Manjaro — sudo pacman -S rsync
Alpine — sudo apk add rsync
openSUSE — sudo zypper install rsync

macOS

macOS includes an rsync binary, so rsync --version will usually already answer. What Apple ships can lag well behind the current release, and some options in these pages need a newer one. To get the current version alongside it, use Homebrew:

bash

$ brew install rsync

Windows

The rsync project does not publish a Windows build. There are three realistic routes, and the project is explicit that it cannot vouch for third parties, so pick a source you trust:

WSL — install a Linux distribution through the Windows Subsystem for Linux and use its package manager, as above. This is the closest thing to a normal rsync.
Cygwin — a POSIX runtime for Windows that includes rsync among its packages.
cwRsync — a native Windows packaging of rsync. The project notes they appear to offer paid releases only.

The newest upstream release on Ubuntu

Distributions freeze versions, so Ubuntu's packaged rsync can be some way behind. The rsync project maintains its own Launchpad PPA tracking upstream releases for currently supported Ubuntu series — the fastest way to get the current rsync without waiting for Ubuntu:

bash

$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:rsyncproject/rsync
$ sudo apt update && sudo apt install rsync

Building from source

You need this if you want a version newer than any package, a build option your distribution left out, or to verify the release yourself. Everything below is served by the project; nothing is mirrored here.

bash

# download the release and its signature
$ curl -O https://download.samba.org/pub/rsync/src/rsync-3.4.4.tar.gz
$ curl -O https://download.samba.org/pub/rsync/src/rsync-3.4.4.tar.gz.asc

# check it really came from the maintainer
$ gpg --verify rsync-3.4.4.tar.gz.asc rsync-3.4.4.tar.gz

# then the usual three steps
$ tar xzf rsync-3.4.4.tar.gz && cd rsync-3.4.4
$ ./configure && make && sudo make install

About that signature. Releases from 3.4.0 onwards are signed by Andrew Tridgell — fetch the key for andrew@tridgell.net from keys.openpgp.org if gpg --verify cannot find it. A signature you never check is not protecting you from anything. Before ./configure, read the project's INSTALL file for the development libraries it wants.

Installed? Your first five minutes with rsync covers the command shape, the one flag mistake that catches everybody, and how to check what a command will do before it does it.