How to Install OpenClaw
on Windows — Step by Step

Complete installation guide for OpenClaw on Windows 10/11. Get your AI agents up and running with clear, step-by-step instructions.

Choose Installation Method

System Requirements

Check these requirements before starting your OpenClaw installation

Windows 10 version 1903 or later / Windows 11

required

OpenClaw requires modern Windows with PowerShell 5.1+

# Check if installed (PowerShell):
Get-ComputerInfo | Select WindowsProductName, WindowsVersion

Node.js 18.0 or later

required

JavaScript runtime required for OpenClaw core

# Check if installed (PowerShell):
node --version

📥 Download: https://nodejs.org/

Git for Windows

required

Version control system for skill management

# Check if installed (PowerShell):
git --version

📥 Download: https://git-scm.com/download/win

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2)

recommended

Improves compatibility with OpenClaw skills

# Check if installed (PowerShell):
wsl --version
# Install command:
wsl --install

Installation Methods

Choose the installation method that best suits your experience level

PowerShell Installation (Recommended)

Beginner

Fastest method using Windows PowerShell

Time Required: 5-10 minutes

Pros:

  • ✓Quick setup
  • ✓Automatic dependencies
  • ✓Built-in error handling

Cons:

  • •Requires admin privileges

Manual Installation

Intermediate

Step-by-step manual installation process

Time Required: 15-20 minutes

Pros:

  • ✓Full control
  • ✓Better understanding
  • ✓Custom configuration

Cons:

  • •More steps
  • •Manual dependency management

WSL2 Installation

Advanced

Install OpenClaw within Windows Subsystem for Linux

Time Required: 20-30 minutes

Pros:

  • ✓Linux compatibility
  • ✓Better performance
  • ✓Advanced features

Cons:

  • •Complex setup
  • •WSL2 required

PowerShell Installation (Recommended)

The fastest way to get OpenClaw running on Windows

1

Open PowerShell as Administrator

1 minute

Launch PowerShell with elevated privileges

# Press Win + X, select 'Windows PowerShell (Admin)' or 'Terminal (Admin)'
# Or press Win + R, type 'powershell', press Ctrl + Shift + Enter

Instructions:

  1. 1.Right-click Start button → Windows PowerShell (Admin)
  2. 2.Accept UAC prompt when it appears
  3. 3.Verify you see 'Administrator' in window title
2

Set Execution Policy

1 minute

Allow PowerShell to run installation scripts

# Check current execution policy
Get-ExecutionPolicy

# Set execution policy to allow script execution
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

# Confirm the change
Get-ExecutionPolicy

💡 Note: This allows PowerShell to run signed scripts from remote sources

3

Install Prerequisites

3-5 minutes

Download and install Node.js and Git automatically

# Install Chocolatey package manager (if not already installed)
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

# Install Node.js and Git via Chocolatey
choco install nodejs git -y

# Refresh environment variables
refreshenv

# Verify installations
node --version
npm --version
git --version

💡 Note: Chocolatey simplifies Windows software installation

4

Install OpenClaw

2-3 minutes

Install OpenClaw globally using npm

# Install OpenClaw globally
npm install -g openclaw

# Verify installation
openclaw --version

# Check available commands
openclaw help

💡 Note: Global installation makes openclaw command available system-wide

5

Initialize and Test

2-3 minutes

Set up workspace and test OpenClaw functionality

# Create OpenClaw workspace directory
mkdir $env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw
cd $env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw

# Initialize OpenClaw
openclaw init

# Start the gateway
openclaw gateway start

# Test with a simple agent
openclaw agent create --name test-agent
openclaw agent chat test-agent "Hello from Windows!"

💡 Note: Successful agent response confirms installation is working

Windows-Specific Configuration

Additional Windows settings to optimize OpenClaw performance

Windows Defender Configuration

High - prevents false positive detections Priority

Configure Windows Defender to allow OpenClaw operations

  1. 1.Open Windows Security (Windows Defender)
  2. 2.Go to Virus & threat protection
  3. 3.Add exclusion for %USERPROFILE%\.openclaw folder
  4. 4.Add exclusion for Node.js installation folder

Environment Variables

Medium - improves command access Priority

Set up PATH and OpenClaw-specific environment variables

  1. 1.Open System Properties → Environment Variables
  2. 2.Add OPENCLAW_HOME=%USERPROFILE%\.openclaw to User variables
  3. 3.Add %OPENCLAW_HOME%\bin to PATH if needed
  4. 4.Restart Command Prompt/PowerShell

Windows Terminal Setup

Low - enhances user experience Priority

Configure Windows Terminal for better OpenClaw experience

  1. 1.Install Windows Terminal from Microsoft Store
  2. 2.Set PowerShell as default profile
  3. 3.Increase buffer size to 10,000 lines
  4. 4.Enable UTF-8 encoding for proper character display

Troubleshooting Common Issues

npm install fails with EACCES error

Symptoms:

  • •Error: EACCES: permission denied
  • •npm ERR! code EACCES

Solutions:

  • ✓Run PowerShell/CMD as Administrator
  • ✓Configure npm to use different directory: npm config set prefix %USERPROFILE%\npm
  • ✓Add %USERPROFILE%\npm to PATH environment variable

PowerShell execution policy blocked

Symptoms:

  • •execution of scripts is disabled
  • •UnauthorizedAccess

Solutions:

  • ✓Run: Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
  • ✓Use Command Prompt instead of PowerShell
  • ✓Run specific commands with: powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "..."

OpenClaw gateway won't start

Symptoms:

  • •Gateway startup failed
  • •Port already in use
  • •Connection refused

Solutions:

  • ✓Check Windows Firewall - allow Node.js through firewall
  • ✓Kill existing Node processes: taskkill /f /im node.exe
  • ✓Try different port: openclaw gateway start --port 3001

Command not found: openclaw

Symptoms:

  • •'openclaw' is not recognized
  • •command not found

Solutions:

  • ✓Restart Command Prompt/PowerShell after npm install
  • ✓Check npm global installation directory: npm config get prefix
  • ✓Add npm global path to Windows PATH environment variable

Advanced: WSL2 Installation

For advanced users who want Linux-like OpenClaw experience on Windows

Enable WSL2

# Enable Windows Subsystem for Linux
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart

# Enable Virtual Machine Platform
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart

# Restart computer, then set WSL 2 as default
wsl --set-default-version 2

Install Ubuntu

# Install Ubuntu from Microsoft Store or command line
wsl --install -d Ubuntu

# Launch Ubuntu and create user account
# Update Ubuntu packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install OpenClaw in WSL2

# Install Node.js in Ubuntu
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Install OpenClaw
sudo npm install -g openclaw

# Set up and test
mkdir ~/.openclaw
openclaw init
openclaw gateway start

Having Windows
Installation Issues?

Get expert help with OpenClaw installation on Windows. Free consultation to resolve any setup problems.

  • ✓Remote Windows setup assistance
  • ✓PowerShell and WSL2 configuration
  • ✓Troubleshooting and optimization

Windows Setup Support

Get OpenClaw running on Windows today

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