---
title: Installation
description: How to install CProof
sidebar:
  order: 1
---

CProof is available for [Linux](#linux--bsd), [*BSD](#linux--bsd), [Windows](#windows) (via WSL or Cygwin), and [macOS](#macos) (via MacPorts). Choose the installation method that suits your system.

Once installed, you can:
- [Get started quickly with CProof →](/getting-started/quick-start/)
- [Build it from source →](/getting-started/building/)


## Linux / *BSD

| Distribution | Package Link |
|--------------|--------------|
| Arch (AUR)   | <a href="https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/jabber-space/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">aur.archlinux.org</a> |

We know that the list is currently way too short. Feel free to [build](/getting-started/building/) from source for your distribution.

## Windows

CProof can be used on Windows via:

- **WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)** — _Recommended_
- **Cygwin**

### WSL (Recommended)

WSL allows you to run a Linux distribution directly inside Windows. It's supported since Windows 10.

Read Microsoft’s [official WSL documentation](https://docs.microsoft.com/de-de/windows/wsl/about) to learn how to install and configure it.

After installing WSL and choosing a Linux distribution (like Debian, Ubuntu, or openSUSE), install CProof using that distro’s package manager.

To compare available CProof versions across distros, check [Repology](https://repology.org/project/profanity/versions).

### Cygwin

1. Download and install Cygwin:
   - 64-bit: <a href="https://cygwin.com/setup-x86_64.exe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://cygwin.com/setup-x86_64.exe</a>
   - 32-bit: <a href="https://cygwin.com/setup-x86.exe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://cygwin.com/setup-x86.exe</a>

2. During setup, search for and include the following packages:
   - `wget`
   - `unzip`

3. Download the CProof source from [git.jabber.space](https://git.jabber.space/devs/profanity) and follow the [build guide](./guide/latest/build.html).
> To enable [OTR](./guide/latest/otr.html) and [OMEMO](./guide/latest/omemo.html) support, you’ll need to build `libotr` and `libsignal-protocol-c` manually, as they are not available in the Cygwin repository.

## macOS

### MacPorts

A build guide using MacPorts is available in this [GitHub wiki](https://github.com/louiecaulfield/profanity/wiki/Building-under-OS-X) by louiecaulfield.

## Usage

To start using CProof:
- Follow our [Quick Start guide](/getting-started/quick-start/)
- Or [build it yourself](/getting-started/building/) if you prefer compiling from source
