How To Install Postman – Full Guide for Windows, MacOs, and Linux 

Postman is a popular tool to test and develop API that simplifies sending requests, inspecting responses, and automating workflows. It is popularly used by developers, testers, and DevOps engineers to interact with APIs. Postman offers support for REST, GraphQL, SOAP, and other protocols, making it a versatile tool for API development and debugging. 

Prerequisites for Installing Postman

Before you install Postman on your system, ensure that your environment meets the following requirements. 

1. System Requirements

• Operating System: Windows, macOS, or Linux (Debian-based, RPM-based, or Arch-based)
• Memory: At least 4GB RAM (8GB recommended for smooth performance)
• Storage: 200MB of free disk space
• Network: Active internet connection for installation and updates

2. Installing Dependencies (For Linux Users)

• Ubuntu/Debian: Ensure snapd is installed for Snap package installation.
  sudo apt update && sudo apt install snapd
• Arch Linux: Ensure yay or pacman is set up for AUR installations.

Installing Postman on Linux

You can install Postman on Linux using multiple different methods, depending on your distribution and preference. Here are the step-by-step installation methods:  

1. Install Postman via Snap (Recommended for Ubuntu & Debian-based Distros)

Snap provides an easy way to install Postman with automatic updates. 

• Ensure snapd is installed, using these commands: 

sudo apt update && sudo apt install snapd

snap install postman

• Install Postman by running the following command: 

sudo snap install postman

• Verify the installation

snap list | grep postman

• Lastly, run Postman by: 

postman

2. Install Postman via APT (For Debian/Ubuntu without Snap)

If you prefer manual installation for Postman, use APT: 

• Download the latest Postman tarball:

wget https://dl.pstmn.io/download/latest/linux64 -O postman.tar.gz

• Extract the file

sudo tar -xvf postman.tar.gz -C /opt/

• Create a symbolic link

sudo ln -s /opt/Postman/Postman /usr/local/bin/postman

• Run Postman

postman

3. Install Postman via Flatpak (Alternative for Fedora, openSUSE, and Others)

Flatpak provides a universal method to install Postman on various distributions. 

• Install Flatpak (if not already installed)

sudo dnf install flatpak

• Add the Flathub repository

flatpak remote-add –if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

• Install Postman

flatpak install flathub com.getpostman.Postman

• Run Postman

flatpak run com.getpostman.Postman

4. Installing Postman Manually (Tar.gz) for Any Linux Distro

Lastly, you can install Postman using Tar.gz for any Linux Distro. 

• Download the latest Postman package

wget https://dl.pstmn.io/download/latest/linux64 -O postman.tar.gz

• Extract it to /opt/

sudo tar -xvf postman.tar.gz -C /opt/

• Create a symlink for easier execution

sudo ln -s /opt/Postman/Postman /usr/local/bin/postman

• Run Postman

postman

Installing Postman on Windows

You can install Postman on Windows using the official installer, which provides a simple setup process. Following the steps below to install Postman on Windows. 

1. Downloading Postman for Windows

Visit the official Postman website, click on the Windows (64-bit) download option, and .exe installer will start downloading. 

2. Installing Postman Using the Installer

Locate the downloaded Postman-win64.exe file, double-click on the installer to start installation, and wait for it to start automatically. Once the installation is complete, Postman will launch itself. 

3. Verifying the Installation

Open Postman from the start menu or by searching for “Postman” in the Windows search bar. If Postman launches successfully, the installation is complete.

Installing Postman on macOS

To install Postman on macOS, you can either use Homebrew or manually download the application. 

1. Install Postman Using Homebrew (Recommended)

Homebrew is a package manager that simplifies the installation by ensuring automatic updates for Postman. 

• Open the Terminal and run the following command to install Postman: 

brew install –cask postman

• Once the package is installed, you can launch Postman from the Launchpad or by running. 

open /Applications/Postman.app

2. Download and Install Postman Manually

If you prefer to manually download, use the following steps: 

• From the official Postman website, select the macOS version. 
• Download the download .zip file, it will extract Postman.app.
• Drag and drop Postman.app into the /Applications folder. 
• Open Postman from the Launchpad or the applications folder. 

3. Verifying the Installation

Open Postman from the Launchpad or run using this command:
open /Applications/Postman.app

Uninstalling Postman

If you are no longer using Postman, you can uninstall it from your system with different methods based on your operating system. 

1. Uninstalling Postman on Linux

Here is how you can uninstall Postman on the Linux system. 

• Using Snap (For Ubuntu & Debian-based Systems)

sudo snap remove postman

• Using Flatpak (For Fedora & Other Flatpak Users)

flatpak uninstall com.getpostman.Postman

• Manual Uninstallation (Tar.gz Installation)

Remove the Postman directory, using the command:
sudo rm -rf /opt/Postman

• Delete the symlink (if created)

sudo rm /usr/local/bin/postman

2. Uninstalling Postman on Windows

From the control panel, visit programs & features, find Postman, and click on uninstall. From the command prompt, run the command: 

wmic product where name=”Postman” call uninstall

3. Uninstalling Postman on macOS

Using Homebrew, run the command: 

brew uninstall –cask postman

To remove manually, open the applications folder, and drag Postman.app to the trash. Later, remove the configuration files:
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Postman

Troubleshooting Postman Installation Issues  

Issue	Possible Cause	Solution
Postman not launching	Corrupt installation or missing dependencies	Reinstall Postman and ensure dependencies are met
Snap/Flatpak installation fails	‘/	Install or update Snap/Flatpak (sudo apt install snapd or sudo dnf install flatpak)
Command not found (Linux)	Postman is not in the system’s PATH	Add Postman to PATH manually (export PATH=$PATH:/opt/Postman)
Permission denied (Linux/macOS)	Postman installed without proper permissions	Run Postman with sudo or change permissions (chmod +x /opt/Postman/Postman)
Windows installer stuck	Antivirus blocking installation	Temporarily disable antivirus and retry
Homebrew installation fails (macOS)	Homebrew is outdated or misconfigured	Run brew update before installing Postman
Postman crashes on launch	Corrupt cache or configuration files	Delete cache: rm -rf ~/.config/Postman (Linux/macOS) or %AppData%\Postman (Windows)
Postman version outdated	Old version installed manually	Download the latest version from Postman’s website

Wrapping Up

You can easily install Postman on Linux, macOS, and Windows easily using these simple steps and package managers. Alternatively, you can opt for manual downloads. This troubleshooting cheat sheet will also help you solve any issues by yourself. 

Frequently Asked Questions