Conductor is built on Swift and AppKit — it runs on macOS only, with no Windows port and no announced plans for one. If you are on Windows and want the same parallel-agent, worktree-backed workflow, Pane is the direct replacement: native Windows installer, ARM64 support, and WSL-aware worktrees out of the box.
By Parsa Khazaeepoul, co-founder of Pane. Tested every agent manager in this comparison set in production. .
why conductor doesn't work on windows
Conductor is written in Swift and built against Apple's AppKit framework. Swift can theoretically compile on Linux, but AppKit is Apple-proprietary — it does not exist on Windows or Linux. This is not a packaging gap that could be fixed with a build script; the entire UI layer is tied to macOS. Conductor also targets Apple Silicon specifically and ships no Windows executable in its release artifacts.
In practice this means: if you open the conductor.build download page on a Windows machine, there is no download for you. The only workaround would be running macOS in a VM, which is not a practical development environment.
pane on windows
Pane
Conductor
Windows x64
yes — native installer
no
Windows ARM64
yes — separate ARM64 build
no
WSL-aware worktrees
yes
no
PowerShell compatible
yes
no
install method
.exe installer or PowerShell script
Homebrew (macOS only)
open source
yes (AGPL-3.0)
no
parallel agent sessions
yes
yes (macOS only)
git worktree support
yes
yes (macOS only)
how to install pane on windows
The fastest path is the PowerShell one-liner:
irm https://runpane.com/install.ps1 | iex
Alternatively, download the Windows installer (.exe) directly. After installation, launch Pane from the Start menu or run pane from any terminal. No Homebrew, no Node version manager, no Unix toolchain required.
For ARM64 devices (Surface Pro X, Snapdragon laptops, etc.), select the ARM64 build from the download page. It runs natively — not under emulation.
migrating from conductor on mac to pane on windows
If you used Conductor on a Mac and are now working on a Windows machine, the mental model transfers directly. Conductor organizes work into sessions backed by git worktrees; Pane does the same. The main differences are:
→ No project import needed. Pane opens any git repository directly — point it at your existing repo and start creating sessions.
→ Any agent works. Conductor supports Claude Code and Codex. Pane supports those plus Aider, Goose, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, and any other CLI agent you already use.
→ WSL repos are accessible. If your code lives inside WSL, Pane resolves the path and creates worktrees correctly. You do not need to clone the repo again outside WSL.
→ Keyboard shortcuts are similar. Pane is keyboard-first with a familiar set of bindings. The session creation and switching flow mirrors what you used in Conductor.
For a full comparison of Conductor alternatives on all platforms, see conductor alternatives.
frequently asked questions
No. Conductor is built on Swift and AppKit — Apple's native UI frameworks — which means it only compiles and runs on macOS. There is no Windows port, no cross-compilation path, and the Conductor team has not announced Windows support. If you are on a Windows machine, you cannot run Conductor at all.
Download the Windows installer (.exe) from runpane.com/docs/download or use the PowerShell install script: irm https://runpane.com/install.ps1 | iex. The installer handles PATH setup automatically. No Homebrew, no WSL, no Unix toolchain required.
Yes. Pane ships separate builds for Windows x64 and Windows ARM64. Both are fully supported and tested — not experimental builds.
Yes, and Pane is WSL-aware. You can run Pane natively on Windows and point agent sessions at repositories inside your WSL filesystem. Pane handles the path translation so worktree creation works correctly across the Windows/WSL boundary.
Pane creates git worktrees as standard NTFS directories alongside your main repository. NTFS supports the file-linking model that git worktrees rely on, so worktree creation, checkout, and deletion all work the same as on macOS or Linux. If your repository is inside WSL, Pane resolves the cross-filesystem path automatically before calling git.
Yes. Pane's core design is parallel agent sessions — each session gets its own git worktree and its own terminal. You can run Claude Code, Codex, Aider, and other agents simultaneously in separate sessions without them stepping on each other's working trees.
Yes. Pane's built-in terminal emulator works with PowerShell, Command Prompt, and WSL shells. You are not forced into any specific shell — whichever shell your agent expects is what you can configure for that session.
No. Pane includes its own terminal emulator, so there is no dependency on tmux, Windows Terminal, or any other external terminal application. Session persistence is also built in — you can close and reopen Pane without losing your agent sessions.
The mental model is the same: both tools create sessions backed by git worktrees, one per agent task. To migrate, install Pane on Windows with the PowerShell script (irm https://runpane.com/install.ps1 | iex), then point it at your cloned repository. No project import or configuration file to transfer. If your repository lives inside WSL, Pane can reach it directly without re-cloning.
Pane supports Claude Code, Codex, Aider, OpenCode, Goose, Letta Code, and Cline on Windows. Because Pane gives each agent a real terminal, any CLI-based agent works — not just the ones Pane names explicitly. Conductor by contrast only supports Claude Code and Codex, and only on macOS.
Pane is open source under AGPL-3.0. The source is publicly available, meaning you can inspect the code, file issues, or contribute. Conductor is closed source with no publicly available repository.
Windows SmartScreen warningDirect downloads can show a SmartScreen warning while Pane is unsigned. Pane is fully open source, so you can audit the code and build from source yourself.1. Click More info2. Click Run anyway3. Continue the installerThe PowerShell install downloads the official release directly and avoids most browser download friction.npm global install
