ExecuTorch

ExecuTorch is PyTorch's open source stack for running AI locally on phones, wearables, laptops, browsers, embedded systems, and microcontrollers. Start with a PyTorch model, capture it with torch.export, optimize it for target hardware, and run it through C++, Python, Swift/Objective-C, Kotlin/Java, or JavaScript APIs.

ExecuTorch powers on-device experiences across Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger, serving billions of people. It also runs AI features on Meta Quest and Ray-Ban Meta devices. See where ExecuTorch is shipping.

[!IMPORTANT] Release channels: use the latest release with the stable documentation. This README tracks main; features labeled Main / nightly may change before release. Use the main documentation with a source checkout or nightly package.

Built for current edge workloads

Workload	Representative capabilities	Start here
Local LLM and agent building blocks	Quantized text models, long context, tool calling, speculative decoding, multi-session execution, and an experimental OpenAI-compatible local server	Muse Glimmer · LLM guide · LLM server
Voice	Streaming and offline speech recognition, speech synthesis, voice activity detection, and speaker diarization	Voxtral Realtime · Parakeet · Sortformer diarization · Voxtral TTS · Nemotron 3 Diarization
Multimodal	Text, image, and audio runners; mobile vision-language models	Gemma 4 · Multimodal runner
Computer vision	Image classification, object detection, semantic segmentation, and promptable segmentation	MobileNet V2 · YOLO26 · DeepLabV3 · EfficientSAM
Embedded AI	Cortex-M CPU kernels, Ethos-U and NXP NPUs, Cadence DSPs, Zephyr, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi Pico workflows	Embedded guide · Cortex-M · Arduino

These are starting points, not a compatibility list. A model does not need to appear here to run with ExecuTorch: use the standard export guide or adapt the closest model example. Deployment depends on torch.export capture plus operator, runtime, and selected-backend coverage; validate numerical accuracy, memory use, and performance on the target. For a new language-model architecture, see the custom LLM guide.

Why ExecuTorch

• PyTorch-native workflow: work directly from torch.export, with PyTorch program metadata and source mappings available to export and debugging tools.
• Partitioned hardware acceleration: delegate supported graph regions to CPU, GPU, NPU, or DSP backends while retaining portable CPU kernels for fallback.
• One source model, explicit targets: reuse the PyTorch model and export flow, while producing a backend-specific .pte for each target that needs hardware specialization.
• A runtime you can right-size: link only the operators, kernels, and delegates a deployment needs; selective build keeps only the required operator kernels.
• Inspect, profile, and extend: use ETDump, ETRecord, and numeric debugging, or add custom operators and backends.
• Versioned deployment contract: a .pte created with stable APIs is guaranteed to load and execute for at least one following non-patch runtime release; see the runtime compatibility and API lifecycle policies.

Install

Install the latest stable Python package in a Python 3.11–3.15 environment:

pip install executorch

On Linux this is the CUDA build, matching the torch package on PyPI. On macOS and Windows it is the CPU build. For the CPU-only Linux build or another CUDA version, see Getting Started.

Install a nightly built from main to use the newest features:

pip install --upgrade --pre executorch torch --extra-index-url https://download.pytorch.org/whl/nightly/cpu

torch is explicit because nightly ExecuTorch wheels do not declare it as a dependency. This command installs a CPU-only PyTorch nightly. On Linux with an NVIDIA GPU, select the nightly command matching your CUDA version in the PyTorch installation selector and use its nightly/cu* index instead; otherwise, pip can replace a CUDA-enabled PyTorch installation with the CPU build. ExecuTorch CUDA wheels are published for Linux only.

Backend export tools can require optional dependencies. For example, use pip install 'executorch[ethos_u]' for Ethos-U AOT export. Embedded toolchains, simulators, and target runtimes are installed separately.

For platform-specific setup (Android, iOS, embedded systems), see the Quick Start documentation for additional information.

The prebuilt Python wheel is published for Linux x86-64, Linux AArch64, macOS arm64, and Windows x86-64. Build from source for other hosts or custom configurations. Native integration is also available through:

• Prebuilt C++ libraries, headers, and CMake package in current main/nightly Linux and macOS wheels
• Android AAR from Maven Central
• Apple frameworks through Swift Package Manager
• Source builds and cross-compilation

Five-minute export and run

This complete example, from the quick-start pathway, exports a small model and lowers it to XNNPACK:

import torch
from executorch.exir import to_edge_transform_and_lower
from executorch.backends.xnnpack.partition.xnnpack_partitioner import XnnpackPartitioner
from executorch.runtime import Runtime

class Add(torch.nn.Module):
    def forward(self, x, y):
        return x + y

model = Add().eval()
sample_inputs = (torch.ones(1), torch.ones(1))

et_program = to_edge_transform_and_lower(
    torch.export.export(model, sample_inputs),
    partitioner=[XnnpackPartitioner()]
).to_executorch()

with open("add.pte", "wb") as f:
    f.write(et_program.buffer)

runtime = Runtime.get()
runtime_program = runtime.load_program("add.pte")
method = runtime_program.load_method("forward")
output = method.execute(sample_inputs)[0]

torch.testing.assert_close(output, model(*sample_inputs))
print("Output:", output)

Expected output: Output: tensor([2.]). This verifies export, XNNPACK lowering, serialization, loading, and execution on the host; measure performance again on the target device.

The resulting add.pte is specialized for the selected backend. Targeting Core ML, Qualcomm, or another accelerator requires that backend's dependencies, configuration, and a separate export, not a blind partitioner substitution. Continue with the Python runtime, C++ Module API, Android, or iOS.

Choose an export path

Starting point	Recommended path	Scope
PyTorch nn.Module	Standard export and lowering	Full backend choice; some models need decompositions or custom operators
Hugging Face PreTrainedModel	Transformers ExecuTorch exporter	Experimental programmatic XNNPACK/CUDA export; generation components require application orchestration
Optimized text or multimodal generation	export_llm or Optimum ExecuTorch	Tested recipes, quantization, tokenizers, and runner-specific metadata

Already have a compatible .pte? Browse the ExecuTorch Community, Arm AI model catalog filtered to ExecuTorch, or, where available, the linked model pages above. Match the model configuration, precision, backend, and runtime; a .pte built for one hardware delegate is not a universal model file.

Runtime and LLM APIs

Use C++, Python, Java/Kotlin, Swift/Objective-C, or JavaScript/WebAssembly for general .pte execution. Higher-level text and multimodal runners are available for C++, Python, Android, and Apple platforms.

Compare the runtime and LLM APIs for language-specific entry points and API maturity.

Platforms and hardware backends

Choose a backend based on target hardware, operator coverage, and deployment constraints. The linked guides document setup, supported hardware, and known limitations. These are representative paths; the backend documentation is authoritative. See also the Desktop guide.

Target	Backends and integrations
Android	XNNPACK CPU; Vulkan GPU; Qualcomm, MediaTek, Arm VGF, and Samsung Exynos accelerators
iOS / iPadOS	XNNPACK CPU; Core ML; MLX on physical devices (experimental)
macOS	XNNPACK; Core ML; experimental MLX, Metal/AOTInductor, and WebGPU paths
Linux	; ; experimental , , and desktop paths

Documentation

• Get started
• Choose a platform
• Choose a backend
• Export and lower a model
• Work with LLMs
• Profile and debug
• Runtime and LLM APIs
• PTE/runtime compatibility policy
• LLM benchmark dashboard
• Troubleshooting

Community and contributing

• GitHub Discussions: ask questions and share ideas
• Discord: chat with maintainers and the community
• Issues: report bugs or request features
• Contributing guide: development setup, testing, and review guidelines

Citing ExecuTorch

Read the MLSys 2026 paper (PDF).

If you use ExecuTorch in research, please cite:

@article{executorch2026,
    title={{ExecuTorch} - A Unified {PyTorch} Solution to Run {AI} Models On-Device},
    author={Nachin, Mergen and Desai, Digant and Jia, Sicheng Stephen and Lai, Chen and Liu, Mengwei and Szwejbka, Jacob and Alvarez, Raziel and Ascani, RJ and Bort, Dave and Candales, Manuel and
  others},
    journal={arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.08195},
    url={https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.08195},
    year={2026}
  }

License

ExecuTorch is BSD licensed. See LICENSE.

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