How to Install Neovim from the GitHub Repository

Why Install from Source?

Vim/Neovim has been my code editor for about 5 years, and in all that time I haven’t needed to compile it and install it from its GitHub repository. This is because Vim comes installed in most operating systems I’ve used, like Xubuntu and macOS.

But this time I want to install GitHub Copilot, which requires Neovim version 0.6.0-x. This version is not available in the operating system packages I currently use (Manjaro). Only the latest stable version, 0.5.x, is available.

I researched on the internet but didn’t find any good video or article, so I went to the Neovim documentation, which helped me quickly.

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Prerequisites

First, we need to cover the prerequisites on your operating system.

For Manjaro/Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S base-devel cmake unzip ninja tree-sitter curl

For other systems, check the Neovim wiki for the specific packages you need.

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Installation Steps

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/neovim/neovim
cd neovim

Step 2: Choose Your Version

For the latest stable version:

git checkout stable

For the latest development version (default):

# No checkout needed - you're on main branch

Step 3: Build Neovim

make

This will compile Neovim from source. The build process may take a few minutes depending on your system.

Step 4: Install

sudo make install

This installs Neovim to /usr/local by default.

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Verification

Let’s check the Neovim version we installed:

nvim --version

You should see output like:

NVIM v0.6.0-dev+575-g2ef9d2a66
Build type: Debug
LuaJIT 2.1.0-beta3
...

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Uninstalling (If Needed)

If you want to remove Neovim later:

sudo rm /usr/local/bin/nvim
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/share/nvim
sudo rm /usr/local/share/man/man1/nvim.1

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What I Learned

1. Sometimes you need the bleeding edge — Package managers lag behind new releases. When a tool you need requires a specific version, compiling from source is often the fastest solution

2. The documentation is your friend — I searched the internet but didn’t find good resources. Going straight to the Neovim wiki gave me clear, up-to-date instructions

3. Building from source isn’t scary — With make, the process is straightforward. Clone, make, install — that’s it

4. Development versions work fine — I used the development version (0.6.0-dev) without any issues. Don’t be afraid to use dev versions if stable doesn’t have what you need

5. Keep track of what you install — When you install from source, it’s good practice to remember how to uninstall it. Unlike package managers, there’s no simple uninstall command

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Done. We’ve installed the latest version of the magnificent editor Neovim.

:until next time!

Neovim GitHub