Install Delta

Use this guide to install Delta. To set up a model and complete your first task, continue with Quick Start.

Delta currently supports:

macOS 13 or later on Apple Silicon.
Linux with glibc on Intel, AMD, or ARM64 processors.
Windows on Intel, AMD, or ARM64 processors.

To install Delta Web on iOS or Android, see Install Delta Web.

Delta is in public beta. You need a Zed account to use it. Sign in or create an account on the Zed dashboard, then accept the Delta Early Access Agreement. You can use Delta as soon as you accept.

Download Delta

For macOS, Linux, and Windows, open the Delta download page, then choose the release for your computer:

macOS: Apple Silicon (aarch64).
Linux: Intel or AMD (x86_64), or ARM64 (aarch64).
Windows: Intel or AMD (x86_64), or ARM64 (aarch64). Windows downloads are signed .exe installers.

Install from your terminal on macOS or Linux

You can also download the installer to install Delta and its command-line tool for your user:

curl -fsSL https://delta.dev/install.sh -o delta-install.sh
sh delta-install.sh

The installer asks before downloading and installing the app. If it finds an existing stable installation, it reuses it without checking for updates. Otherwise, it downloads the current stable release. On macOS, a new installation goes in ~/Applications/Delta.app; on Linux, it goes in ~/.local/delta.app. Linux also requires Python 3 to read the download response.

The installer links the command-line tool at ~/.local/bin/delta and leaves unrelated commands at that path untouched. If that folder is missing from your PATH, it offers to update your Bash or Zsh configuration. Open a new terminal after accepting that change. For other shells, add the folder to PATH yourself.

The installer does not open Delta. To open it, run the CLI executable found by the installer, even if ~/.local/bin is not on your PATH:

"$(sh delta-install.sh --locate-cli)"

To find an existing stable command-line tool without installing anything, run:

sh delta-install.sh --locate-cli

This prints the executable’s absolute path when found and exits with status 1 when it is absent.

For an unattended installation, use sh delta-install.sh --non-interactive. This mode does not prompt or change your shell configuration. On success, it prints the command-line tool’s absolute path; use that path if delta is not on your PATH.

Install on macOS

Unzip Delta.app.zip.
Move Delta.app into /Applications.
Open Terminal from Applications > Utilities.
Paste this command into Terminal, then press Return:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Delta.app

Open Delta from /Applications.

The Terminal step prevents macOS from repeatedly asking you to move Delta to Applications. See Troubleshooting if that happens. Delta opens to the sign-in screen.

Install the command-line tool

Choose Delta > Install CLI…, or Install CLI… in the command palette, to make the delta command available from your terminal. This links the bundled tool to /usr/local/bin/delta and requests administrator permission only if needed.

If an unrelated command already exists at that path, Delta leaves it untouched. Move or rename it before retrying.

Install on Linux

Open a terminal in the folder containing the downloaded archive. Most browsers save it in Downloads; run cd ~/Downloads to open that folder.
Make ~/.local/bin available in the current terminal:

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Replace <architecture> below with the value in the downloaded filename: x86_64 or aarch64. Then run:

tar -xzf delta-linux-<architecture>.tar.gz
./Delta/install.sh
delta

This installs Delta in ~/.local/delta.app, registers it with your desktop environment, and opens the app. The archive includes Delta’s application libraries but still requires compatible Linux system libraries.

The installer links the command-line tool at ~/.local/bin/delta. Add the export PATH line above to your shell configuration if that folder is not already on your PATH. The installer does not edit shell configuration.

If an unrelated command already exists at ~/.local/bin/delta, the installer leaves it untouched and prints a warning. Move or rename it, then rerun install.sh to create the link.

Run without installing

To run Delta from the extracted archive:

./Delta/bin/delta

Install on Windows

Run the Windows .exe installer you downloaded. It installs Delta for your user by default; its Options page offers a per-machine installation and a custom location. The installer adds Delta to the Start menu and registers delta:// links that open Delta. It also adds the command-line tool’s folder to PATH. Open a new terminal after installation to use the delta command.

Open Delta from the Start menu. Delta opens to the sign-in screen.

Use Delta from your terminal

Run delta to open the desktop app:

delta

The command-line tool also lets you check your account, sign in, and sign out.

See Get Started with Delta CLI to work with threads and worktrees, or the Claude Code Plugin to share Claude Code sessions.

Continue setup

You should now see Welcome to Delta. Delta checks for updates when it starts.

Follow the in-app steps to sign in and connect a model. On Add your team, enter an organization name and optionally invite up to three teammates, then choose Create Organization. Choose Skip to continue without creating one. Creating a team does not switch the organization supplying your hosted models.

The Welcome to Delta introduction is complete after you follow its final prompt and open a terminal. To repeat the introduction later, run Restart Welcome Guide from the command palette. Then continue with Quick Start to complete your first project task.

Run without a window

CLI commands that need Delta start its background process without opening a window, and the process exits when no command needs it. To open a window in the running app, run:

delta open

After you quit Delta, it keeps running only until delta commands still in progress finish. See Keep Computer Awake for the sleep behavior of background work.