Miniforge

Spec sheet

Purpose

Miniforge is a minimal installer for conda and mamba designed for conda-forge.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Platforms

The download page lists installers for Windows x86_64, macOS arm64 and x86_64, and Linux x86_64, aarch64, and ppc64le.Read 4 Oct 2026 · conda-forge.org

Support

The conda-forge documentation directs users with bugs or questions to GitHub issues or the Zulip chatroom.Read 4 Oct 2026 · conda-forge.org

License

The repository identifies Miniforge as BSD 3-Clause licensed.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Architecture focus

The project emphasizes support for x86_64, ppc64le, and aarch64 architectures, including Apple Silicon.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Architecture support

The project says it emphasizes support for x86_64, ppc64le, and aarch64 CPU architectures, including Apple Silicon.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Base Python

The project README says the latest installers have Python 3.14 in the base environment and that other Python versions can be installed in separate environments.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

CI testing

The project says installers are tested in CI against a range of Linux distributions matching the installer architecture.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

CI use

The README provides batch installation instructions for non-interactive use, including CI pipelines.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Default package source

Packages in the base environment come from conda-forge, which is configured as the default and only channel.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Environments

Users can create isolated environments with conda or mamba and install packages from conda-forge.Read 5 Oct 2026 · conda-forge.org

Experimental builds

The README says Apple Silicon and Linux RISC-V builds are experimental and have not received the same testing as other platforms.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Included tools

The installer includes conda, mamba, and their dependencies.Read 5 Oct 2026 · conda-forge.org

Installation limit

The project does not recommend installing Miniforge through Homebrew because repackaging can cause incompatibilities it does not test.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

macOS installer security

The project says its macOS PKG installers are signed and notarized with NumFOCUS certificates.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Minimum requirements

The README lists Windows 10 or later, macOS 11 or later, and Linux glibc 2.17 or later for x86_64, aarch64, and ppc64le installers.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Package availability

The download page says thousands of packages are available in the conda-forge distribution.Read 4 Oct 2026 · conda-forge.org

Package source

Packages in the base environment come from the conda-forge channel, which is set as the default and only channel.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Project scope

The project describes Miniforge as an entry point to the conda and mamba commands and says package-specific issues should be reported to the associated feedstock.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Signing

The macOS PKG installers are signed and notarized with NumFOCUS certificates.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Supported systems

Current installers are listed for Windows x86_64, macOS x86_64 and arm64, and Linux x86_64, aarch64, and ppc64le.Read 5 Oct 2026 · conda-forge.org

Testing

The README says installers are tested in CI against distributions including CentOS 7, Debian 11–13, and Ubuntu 18.04–24.04.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Windows limitation

The README says Windows commands are available in the Miniforge Prompt by default and warns that adding Miniforge to PATH may cause serious software conflicts.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Windows usage

With the default Windows installer choices, conda and mamba are available in the Miniforge Prompt; adding Miniforge to PATH is optional and is not selected by default due to potential software conflicts.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Where Specifiction places it

• Python Package Managers#19 of 277.5