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SDKMAN Installation via Git Bash on Windows

If you’ve tried to install SDKMAN on Windows using Git Bash, you’ve probably encountered the infamous error: zip: command not found and maybe struggled like me to find a suitable and lightweight solution to install it.

Most solutions online suggest installing heavy packages like Cygwin, MinGW, or even switching to WSL. But what if I told you there’s a much simpler, lightweight solution?

The Problem

SDKMAN relies on the zip utility to manage Java SDK installations. Unfortunately, Git Bash for Windows doesn’t include zip by default, and most guides recommend overengineered solutions that add hundreds of megabytes to your system.

Alternative Approaches

1. Installing Cygwin (~300MB+): Way too heavy just for zip.
2. Installing MinGW: Another heavy package manager.
3. Using WSL: Requires managing a separate Linux environment. Some of us work like this, but I prefer using Git Bash tooling instead of WSL.
4. Using Scoop/Chocolatey: Adds package managers when you just need one utility.

These solutions work, but they’re like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

The Lightweight Solution

The answer is simple: download just the zip executable (about 200KB) and add it to your Git Bash bin directory. Here’s how:

Step 1: Download the Zip Binaries

Download the standalone zip binaries from GnuWin32:

• GnuWin32 Zip Package Page
• Direct Link to Binaries Download on SourceForge

Step 2: Extract and Place the Executable

1. Extract the downloaded ZIP file
2. Copy bin/zip.exe to your Git Bash bin directory, by default located here: C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin\

Step 3: Install SDKMAN

Now you can install SDKMAN without the missing zip issues by following the documentation, or by executing this in your Git Bash terminal:

# Install SDKMAN
curl -s "https://get.sdkman.io" | bash

Afterward, open a new terminal, OR run the following in the same shell:

# Source SDKMAN if you want to stay in the same shell
source "$HOME/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh"

Lastly, run the following snippet to confirm the installation was successful:

# Verify SDKMAN installation
sdk version

If everything is fine, you can finally use SDKMAN to manage your Java versions on Windows !

Happy coding !