Unfree software

← Back to the NixOS FAQ

How can I install a proprietary or unfree package?

You won't be able to install or search for an unfree package as a user, unless you explicitly enable it in ~/.config/nixpkgs/config.nix (the file and folder may need to be created):

{
  # [...]
  allowUnfree = true;
}

When using NixOS, it is possible to enable unfree packages system-wide, then set in your /etc/nixos/configuration.nix:

{
  # [...]
  nixpkgs.config.allowUnfree = true;
}

Note that this alone will not allow you to search for or install packages with nix-env.

For temporary allowing unfree packages you can set the environment variable NIXPKGS_ALLOW_UNFREE, e.g.

NIXPKGS_ALLOW_UNFREE=1 nix-env

Note that we are not able to test or build unfree software on Hydra due to policy. Most unfree licenses prohibit us from either executing or distributing the software.