Installation

This guide documents the YubiKey Manager (ykman) CLI. The ykman CLI can be installed on Windows, macOS, and Linux systems.

Download YubiKey Manager (ykman) Installer

Download YubiKey Manager (ykman) CLI installer from: yubikey-manager Releases.

Installation packages include:

  • .tar.gz format for Linux and Unix systems
  • .mac.pkg format for macOS systems
  • .win64.msi for Windows systems

As of ykman version 5.9.1, the Windows and macOS installers are built with Python 3.14.4.

Note

Additional installation packages may be available from third parties.

OS-independent Installation

ykman (CLI) can be installed independently of platform by using pip (or equivalent). This installation method uses the Python package manager, which might be useful for people who are using the libraries that come with ykman for writing Python software. See the YubiKey Manager CLI for Python.

Note

PIP (or equivalent) must first be installed on the target system.

For the latest ykman version:

pip install --user yubikey-manager

Windows Installation

The YubiKey Manager CLI can be installed through the Windows GUI or Command Prompt (CMD).

Note

If the YubiKey Manager installer has a -qt in the filename, it is for the ykman GUI version. Do not use these installers. The installers without the -qt in the filename are for the ykman CLI.

Using Windows Command Prompt

To install YubiKey Manager (ykman) CLI on Windows from the Windows Command Prompt (CMD):

  1. Press the Windows key and type: cmd

  2. Select Run as administrator

  3. Select Yes when prompted to run the app in elevated mode

  4. Change directory (cd) to where ykman was downloaded

  5. Type (paste) the following: yubikey-manager-<version>-win64.msi and press Enter.

    Replace the filename, with the actual the filename that includes the version information. For example: yubikey-manager-5.9.1-win64.msi. Then press Enter.

    ``pip install --user yubikey-manager-<version>``

Using Windows GUI Install YubiKey Manager (ykman) CLI

  1. Download the installer. See Download YubiKey Manager (ykman) Installer.

  2. Open a File Explorer and browse to the Downloads folder.

  3. Double-click the installer for the latest version. For example, yubikey-manager-5.9.1-win64.msi.

  4. Complete the YubiKey Manager (ykman) CLI Setup wizard.

    1. In the Welcome screen, click Next.
    2. In the Destination Folder screen, click Next to select the default. Optionally, click Change to select a different location, then click Next.
    3. In the Ready to install YubiKey Manager (ykman) CLI screen, click Install.
    4. If a pop-up asks, Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?, click Yes.
    5. Wait while the ykman CLI is installed. In the Installing screen, a progress bar shows the status.
    6. In the Completed the YubiKey Manager (ykman) CLI Setup Wizard screen, click Finish.

  5. Optionally, from the command prompt, change to the installation directory and confirm the ykman CLI is listed. If running from a mapped drive, you might need to add /D <install path>. This ensures YubiKey Manager (ykman) is installed in the correct drive.

    C:\Program Files> dir
Volume in drive C
Volume Serial Number is


Directory of C:\Program Files

05/31/2024  03:22 PM    <DIR>          .
02/27/2024  09:29 PM    <DIR>          Common Files
05/24/2024  01:30 PM    <DIR>          Google
05/31/2024  03:41 PM    <DIR>          Internet Explorer
05/07/2022  01:00 AM    <DIR>          WindowsPowerShell
05/31/2024  03:22 PM    <DIR>          Yubico
         0 File(s)              0 bytes
        14 Dir(s)  238,592,212,992 bytes free

MacOS

Uninstaller

Once installed, the application uninstaller, ykman-uninstall.exe, is located in the ykman install directory.

Running the uninstaller starts the uninstall process. The /S silent install option described above works with the uninstaller.

MacOS Installation

Select one of the below listed topic options to install the YubiKey Manager CLI.

Note

If the YubiKey Manager installer has a -qt in the filename, it is for the ykman GUI version. Do not use these installers. The installers without the -qt in the filename are for the ykman CLI.

Install ykman CLI Using Homebrew

From the Mac’s terminal run the brew command below. For Homebrew documentation and installation, see https://brew.sh.

This is the preferred install method for the CLI as it also enables native ykman command functionality without the need to change directories.

Use this method to upgrade the version of ykman CLI. The command identifies older versions of components including ykman and automatically upgrades them.

brew install ykman

Install ykman CLI Using Package Installer

  1. Download the installer. See Download YubiKey Manager (ykman) Installer.

  2. Open a Finder and browse to the Downloads folder.

  3. Double-click the installer for the newest version. For example, yubikey-manager-5.9.1-mac.pkg.

  4. Complete the yubiKey-manager installer wizard.

    1. In the Introduction screen, click Continue. The Destination Select screen is skipped and defaults are applied.

    2. In the Installation Type screen, click Install.

    3. If a pop-up ask to allow the installation, enter your password or use Touch ID and click Install Software.

    4. Wait while the YubiKey Manager (ykman) CLI is installed. In the Installation screen, a progress bar shows the status.

    5. In the Summary screen, click Close.

    6. Optionally, open a terminal and run the ykman help command.

      ~ % ykman -h
Usage: ykman [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

Configure your YubiKey via the command line.

Examples:

List connected YubiKeys, only output serial number:
$ ykman list --serials

Show information about YubiKey with serial number 123456:
$ ykman --device 123456 info
. . .

Linux Installation

On Linux platforms you need to have pcscd installed and running to communicate with a YubiKey over the Smart Card interface. Additionally, you might need to set permissions for your user to access YubiKeys via the HID interfaces.

Some of the libraries used by ykman have C-extensions, and might require additional dependencies to build, such as swig and potentially PCSC lite.

Third Party Linux Distributions

Note

For Linux amd64 ONLY and other architectures such as ARM, use the general pip instructions above.

If you are using packages from one of the several Linux distributions’ third party repositories, follow the installation steps from the Linux distribution.

See also the Yubico Support Knowledge Base article Installing Yubico Software on Linux.

Developers

For more information, see the ykman CLI page on developers.yubico.com. For APDUs, see the APDU page in the .NET YubiKey SDK User’s Manual.