gopher

Windows Usage Guide

Gopher supports version switching on Windows using ZIP downloads and symlinks.

Quick Start

For detailed setup instructions, see Windows Setup Guide.

Usage

# Install a Go version
gopher install 1.21.0

# Switch to a version
gopher use 1.21.0

# List installed versions
gopher list

# Check current version
gopher current

Symlink Locations

Gopher tries to create symlinks in these locations (in order):

1. %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\bin\go.exe
2. %USERPROFILE%\bin\go.exe

If Symlink Creation Fails

If you get a “symlink creation not implemented for Windows” error, try these solutions:

Option 1: Enable Developer Mode (Recommended)

1. Open Windows Settings
2. Go to Update & Security > For developers
3. Turn on “Developer Mode”
4. Run gopher use <version> again

Option 2: Run as Administrator

1. Right-click Command Prompt or PowerShell
2. Select “Run as administrator”
3. Run gopher use <version>

Option 3: Manual PATH Setup

1. Add the symlink directory to your PATH environment variable
2. The directory will be shown in the error message
3. Restart your terminal
4. Run gopher use <version> again

Troubleshooting

• “Access is denied”: Enable Developer Mode or run as Administrator
• “Command not found”: Add the symlink directory to your PATH
• “Still using system version”: Restart terminal after PATH changes
• “No application is associated”: Run gopher debug for diagnostics

Example Session

C:\Users\YourName> gopher install 1.21.0
✓ Downloaded go1.21.0.windows-amd64.zip
✓ Installed go1.21.0

C:\Users\YourName> gopher use 1.21.0
✓ Created symlink in C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\bin\go.exe
✓ Added C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\bin to PATH for current session

C:\Users\YourName> go version
go version go1.21.0 windows/amd64

Features

• ✅ Automatic PATH management
• ✅ No admin privileges required (with Developer Mode)
• ✅ Multiple Go versions can coexist
• ✅ Works with existing Go installations

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