Are you attempting to use Wget, but your computer is telling you that the Wget command is not found?
Although this error is frustrating, it’s actually quite simple to fix, and the entire process can be done in just a few moments.
So if you are experiencing the ‘bash wget command not found’ error, in this article you’ll learn step-by-step how to fix it!
Check For Wget Installation
The first thing you should do is to check to see if Wget is installed on your system at all.
You can do this by opening Terminal, and using the following command:
wget -V
You can also use this to determine where wget may be located on your system:
which wget
Depending on whether wget has been found or not, there is usually a simple path to fixing it.
If wget is not found, you should download and install it using the instructions below.
If wget is found however, it would be best to completely remove it before reinstalling the latest version. Instructions for doing this can also be found below, so keep reading!
Download And Install Wget
If Wget is not currently installed on your system, you can typically install it with a simple command.
If you used a Debian-based Linux OS (such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or Arch Linux), you can install Wget with the following command
sudo apt-get install wget
If you use a Red Hat or CentOS distribution of Linux, you can instead install Wget with this command instead:
yum install wget
What To Do If You Run Into Installation Issues
If you happen to run into any error messages while installing the Wget package, they can usually be resolved quite easily.
Most commonly, all you need to do is completely uninstall your old installation of Wget, and then redownload and reinstall it.
To do this, run the following command
sudo apt-get remove wget
Then, reinstall wget using
sudo apt-get install wget
If Wget still persists after attempting to remove it or continues to give you problems, you can remove Wget, its dependencies, and its configuration file by running the following command:
sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove wget
Note that dependencies will be automatically reinstalled when you attempt to reinstall Wget.
This is a great way to completely remove Wget from your system, and everything related to it. Then, you can redownload the latest version without having to worry about past files or broken installations causing any conflicts.
Wget For Windows
Typically, Wget is a tool that’s only available for Linux-based systems. But did you know that it’s also possible to install it for Windows as well?
Although it’s slightly more prone to bugs and the version hasn’t been updated since 2008, you can use it just like you would on Linux, and it even supports Windows 10 and Windows 11.
To download Wget for Windows, click here.
Under the ‘Download’ section, click on the link that says ‘Setup’ next to ‘Complete package, except sources.’
This will redirect you to a Sourceforge page and start the download.
Then, just install it like you would any other program!
What Is Wget, And What Makes It Special?
Many people consider wget to be a crucial tool for scraping or downloading files from the internet.
It’s also a core part of many other programs or packages, meaning that they may also give you errors if wget isn’t installed correctly!
Wget is an incredibly flexible tool that works on almost any Linux-based computer or server, and has an incredible number of options available for usage.
Whether you’re downloading a single file or mirroring an entire website, it’s worth taking the time to familiarize yourself with the sheer number of options that wget has available.
Therefore, we recommend looking over the manual by clicking here!
Conclusion
If you are experiencing an error messaging stating ‘Wget command not found’, don’t worry.
Typically, this issue can be completely fixed by downloading Wget using the terminal, or reinstalling it if it’s been corrupted.
I hope that you’ve found this article helpful. If you have any issues installing Wget, please write a comment below explaining the situation (including any error messages as well.)
Wishing you the best,
– James McAllister