Installation and Setup

Jun 23, 2026Trushi Jasani

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Installation and Setup

Prerequisites

Before installing Kotlin, make sure you have the following:

• Java Development Kit (JDK) – Kotlin runs on the JVM, so JDK 8 or higher is required.
• Internet connection – To download the necessary tools.

Step 1: Install JDK

Download and install JDK from the official Oracle or OpenJDK website.

Check if JDK is installed:

java -version

Expected output:

java version "17.0.x" ...

Step 2: Install Kotlin

Option A: Using SDKMAN (Linux/macOS)

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

# Install Kotlin
sdk install kotlin

Option B: Using Homebrew (macOS)

brew install kotlin

Option C: Using Snap (Ubuntu/Linux)

sudo snap install kotlin --classic

Option D: Manual Installation (Windows/All Platforms)

1. Download the Kotlin compiler from kotlinlang.org.
2. Extract the ZIP archive.
3. Add the bin folder to your system PATH.

Verify installation:

kotlinc -version

Expected output:

kotlinc-jvm 1.9.x (JRE 17.x.x)

Step 3: Set Up an IDE

IntelliJ IDEA (Recommended)

1. Download IntelliJ IDEA from jetbrains.com/idea.
2. The Community Edition is free and fully supports Kotlin.
3. Kotlin plugin is bundled by default — no additional installation needed.

Android Studio

1. Download from developer.android.com/studio.
2. Kotlin is pre-installed and ready for Android development.

Visual Studio Code

1. Install VS Code from code.visualstudio.com.
2. Install the Kotlin extension from the Extensions Marketplace.

Step 4: Create Your First Kotlin Project

In IntelliJ IDEA

1. Open IntelliJ IDEA.
2. Click New Project.
3. Select Kotlin from the left panel.
4. Choose JVM | IDEA as the project template.
5. Name your project and click Create.

Using Command Line

# Create a file named hello.kt
echo 'fun main() { println("Hello, Kotlin!") }' > hello.kt

# Compile the file
kotlinc hello.kt -include-runtime -d hello.jar

# Run the compiled JAR
java -jar hello.jar

Step 5: Online Playground (No Installation Required)

You can try Kotlin instantly in the browser using the official playground:

🔗 play.kotlinlang.org

Project Structure Overview

A typical Kotlin project looks like this:

MyProject/
├── src/
│   └── main/
│       └── kotlin/
│           └── Main.kt
├── build.gradle.kts
└── settings.gradle.kts

Summary

Method	Platform	Difficulty
IntelliJ IDEA	All	Easy
Android Studio	Android/All	Easy
SDKMAN	Linux/macOS	Easy
Homebrew	macOS	Easy
Manual ZIP	Windows/All	Medium
Online IDE	Browser	Easiest

You're now ready to write your first Kotlin program!