Posted on Jul 15

Getting Started with Kiro AWS on Windows

Getting Started with Kiro AWS (Windows)

Kiro AWS is a lightweight tool designed to streamline AWS workflows with a friendly desktop interface. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the installation process on Windows and get you up and running.

Step 1: Download Kiro AWS

Download the latest version of Kiro AWS directly from:

https://kiro.dev/downloads

You will be presented with a download page where you can choose the installer that matches your operating system:

Download for Mac (Apple Silicon)
Download for Mac (Intel)
Download for Windows
Download for Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
Download for Linux (Universal)

Click the appropriate button to begin the download.

Step 2: Accept the License Agreement

Once the installer launches, you’ll see the License Agreement screen.

Kiro AWS is licensed to you under the AWS Customer Agreement and the AWS Intellectual Property License. To proceed, accept the agreement and click Next.

Step 3: Choose Installation Location

Next, choose where Kiro should be installed on your system. By default, it installs under your user directory:

C:\Users\<YourName>\AppData\Local\Programs\Kiro

You can click Browse to select a different folder or accept the default location and click Next to continue.

Step 4: Select Start Menu Folder

Now choose where the Start Menu shortcuts should be placed. The default folder name is Kiro.

You can:

Accept the default folder and click Next, or
Check "Don't create a Start Menu folder" if you prefer not to create a shortcut

Step 5: Select Additional Tasks

Choose any additional tasks you want Setup to perform during installation:

[ ] Create a desktop icon
[ ] Add "Open with Kiro" to the Windows Explorer file context menu
[ ] Add "Open with Kiro" to the Windows Explorer directory context menu
[x] Register Kiro as an editor for supported file types
[x] Add to PATH (requires shell restart)

The last two options are selected by default, which is helpful for using Kiro from the terminal or as a default editor.

Click Next to continue.

Step 6: Confirm Installation Settings

Before the actual installation begins, you'll see a summary of your chosen configuration:

Destination location: where Kiro will be installed
Start Menu folder: the folder name for shortcuts
Additional tasks: any extra options selected

If everything looks correct, click Install to begin the installation. You can also click Back to review or change any previous steps.

Step 7: Installing Kiro

The installer will now begin extracting files and installing Kiro on your system. This step may take a few moments.

Once the progress bar completes, Kiro will be fully installed and ready for launch.

Step 8: Finish Installation

When the installation is complete, you’ll see the final screen of the setup wizard.

Click Finish to exit the Setup Wizard. By default, the Launch Kiro option is checked, so Kiro will open immediately after closing the installer.

Step 9: Sign In to Kiro

Once Kiro launches for the first time, you’ll be prompted to sign in. You can choose from several authentication methods:

Google
GitHub
AWS Builder ID
Organization Identity

Select the method that best suits your workflow to get started.

Step 10: Import VS Code Configuration (Optional)

Kiro offers a convenient option to migrate your VS Code setup, including:

Extensions (only those available on Open VSX)
Keybindings
Editor settings

You can choose to:

Import from VS Code to keep your familiar setup
Skip this step and proceed with a fresh Kiro environment

Kiro loads the extensions in the background so you can continue onboarding without delay.

Step 11: Choose Your Theme

Personalize your Kiro experience by selecting a theme. You can choose between:

Kiro Dark: A sleek, low-light theme great for long coding sessions
Kiro Light: A clean, bright theme suitable for well-lit environments

Once you've selected your preferred theme, click Continue to proceed.

Step 12: Set Up Shell Integration

To complete the onboarding process, Kiro integrates with your system shell. This allows you to launch projects or files directly from the terminal using the kiro command.