# Install makensis with Homebrew

System to create Windows installers. Version 3.12 via Homebrew; verified 2026-08-01.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:makensis
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install makensis
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:makensis
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 3.12
- **Source summary:** System to create Windows installers
- **Homepage:** <https://nsis.sourceforge.net/>
- **Last updated:** 2026-08-01T16:48:17Z
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- makensis (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 3.12
## Project history and usage

NSIS, exposed in Homebrew through the `makensis` compiler executable, is the Nullsoft Scriptable Install System: a small, script-driven open source system for producing Windows installers. Its official documentation emphasizes compact output, flexible scripting, and internet distribution, which is why it became a recurring tool in cross-platform release pipelines even though the target artifact is a Windows installer.

### Project history

NSIS grew out of Nullsoft's installer work and reached public release as NSIS v1.0f on July 31, 2000, according to the official release notes. The project later moved through SourceForge-hosted development and kept its own scripting language, plug-in model, compression backends, and Windows-focused installer conventions.

The 3.0 release in July 2016 was a major modernization point: the official notes describe it as adding optional Unicode support, Windows 10 support, and a long list of compatibility and feature work while keeping support for the same Windows family. Subsequent releases continued the practical package-maintainer work of keeping installers small, signed, localizable, and compatible with modern Windows behavior.

### Adoption history

NSIS became popular with open source and shareware projects because it produced a single redistributable `.exe` installer from text scripts and bundled files. For Unix-like package managers, `makensis` matters because maintainers can build Windows release artifacts from CI or developer machines without installing the full Windows GUI workflow.

The official wiki and download pages show a long-running project with current releases, archived NSIS 1 and 2 releases, documentation, examples, and a plug-in ecosystem. That long tail made NSIS scripts a package-maintainer artifact in their own right: projects often carry `.nsi` files next to source code, and build systems invoke `makensis` as a release step.

### How it is used

`makensis` compiles `.nsi` installer scripts. The scripting reference describes `.nsi` files as text files containing commands, comments, variables, sections, pages, and installer behavior; build systems typically pass the script to `makensis` and publish the generated Windows installer.

### Why package nerds care

Package nerds care about `makensis` because it is a bridge between source packaging and Windows distribution: the same project can publish tarballs, native packages, and a Windows installer from checked-in release recipes. It also explains why a Windows installer compiler appears in Unix package managers such as Homebrew.

### Timeline

- 2000: NSIS v1.0f is first publicly released.
- 2016: NSIS 3.0 is released with optional Unicode support and Windows 10 support.
- 2020: NSIS 3.06.1 marks the project's 20th anniversary.
- 2026: The official download page lists NSIS 3.12 as a current release.

### Related projects

- Related installer systems include Inno Setup, WiX Toolset, Windows Installer/MSI tooling, and cross-platform packaging flows that invoke `makensis` from release automation.

### Sources

- <https://nsis.sourceforge.io/Docs/AppendixF.html>
- <https://nsis.sourceforge.io/Docs/Chapter4.html>
- <https://nsis.sourceforge.io/Download>
- <https://nsis.sourceforge.io/Main_Page>
- <https://sourceforge.net/p/nsis/code/HEAD/tree>


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/makensis.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/makensis.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph