Installation Windows

OpenClaw Windows Setup Guide: Install on Windows 10 & 11

Complete Windows installation guide for OpenClaw. Covers Node.js setup, PowerShell vs CMD, WSL2 recommendations, and Windows-specific configuration.

↻ Updated: February 1, 2026 9 min read

Quick Answer

Install OpenClaw on Windows: `npm i -g openclaw` (requires Node.js 18+). PowerShell recommended over CMD. WSL2 provides the best experience. Run `openclaw onboard` after installation to configure.

Introduction

OpenClaw works great on Windows, though the installation process differs slightly from macOS and Linux. This guide covers everything you need to install and run OpenClaw on Windows 10 or Windows 11, including PowerShell setup, Node.js installation, and WSL2 recommendations.

For general installation instructions, see our complete installation guide.

System Requirements

Windows Version

  • Windows 10 (version 1903 or later)
  • Windows 11 (all versions)
  • Older versions may work but aren’t officially supported

Hardware

  • RAM — 2GB+ recommended (4GB+ for best performance)
  • Storage — 500MB+ for installation, additional space for memory/data
  • Processor — Any modern x64 processor

Software Prerequisites

  • Node.js 18+ — Required for running OpenClaw
  • PowerShell 5.1+ or Windows Terminal — Recommended over CMD
  • Git (optional) — For hackable install from source

Installation Methods

The standard way to install OpenClaw on Windows:

  1. Install Node.js (if not already installed):

    • Download from nodejs.org
    • Choose the LTS version (18.x or higher)
    • Run the installer with default settings
    • Verify installation: 
      node --version
npm --version

  2. Install OpenClaw:

    npm i -g openclaw

  3. Verify installation:

    openclaw --version

Method 2: PowerShell One-Liner

A PowerShell script automates the installation:

irm https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Note: You may need to enable script execution:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

This script will:

  • Check for Node.js (prompt to install if missing)
  • Install OpenClaw globally
  • Set up PATH if needed
  • Verify installation

Method 3: WSL2 Install (Best Experience)

Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) provides a Linux environment that often works better for OpenClaw:

  1. Install WSL2:

    wsl --install

    Restart your computer when prompted.

  2. Install Ubuntu (or your preferred Linux distribution):

    wsl --install -d Ubuntu

  3. Inside WSL2, install OpenClaw:

    curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

WSL2 provides:

  • Better compatibility with Unix tools
  • Native Linux performance
  • Easier integration with Linux-based services
  • Access to Linux package managers

See our Linux setup guide for WSL2-specific instructions.

Method 4: Hackable Install (From Source)

For developers who want to modify the source:

  1. Install Git:

    • Download from git-scm.com
    • Or install via winget: 
      winget install Git.Git

  2. Clone and build:

    git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
npm install
npm run build

  3. Run from source:

    npm run openclaw onboard

Installing Node.js on Windows

Option 1: Official Installer

  1. Visit nodejs.org
  2. Download the LTS version (18.x or higher)
  3. Run the installer
  4. Check “Add to PATH” during installation
  5. Verify: 
    node --version
npm --version

Option 2: winget (Windows Package Manager)

winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS

Option 3: Chocolatey

If you have Chocolatey installed:

choco install nodejs-lts

Option 4: Scoop

If you use Scoop:

scoop install nodejs-lts

PowerShell vs Command Prompt

PowerShell is more powerful and modern:

  • Better scripting capabilities
  • More consistent with cross-platform commands
  • Better error handling
  • Native JSON support

Use PowerShell for all OpenClaw commands.

Command Prompt (CMD)

CMD works but has limitations:

  • Older syntax
  • Less powerful scripting
  • Some npm scripts may not work correctly

If you must use CMD, commands are mostly the same, but PowerShell is recommended.

Windows Terminal

Windows Terminal provides the best experience:

  • Multiple tabs
  • Better font rendering
  • Customizable appearance
  • Integrated PowerShell, CMD, and WSL

Install from Microsoft Store or:

winget install Microsoft.WindowsTerminal

Post-Installation Setup

After installation, configure OpenClaw:

openclaw onboard

This interactive setup covers:

1. AI Model Configuration

Choose your AI provider:

Anthropic Claude:

  • Claude 3.5 Sonnet (recommended)
  • Claude 3 Opus
  • Claude 4

Get your API key from console.anthropic.com.

OpenAI GPT:

  • GPT-4o
  • GPT-4 Turbo
  • GPT-4.1

Get your API key from platform.openai.com.

Local Models:

  • Ollama (runs locally)
  • LM Studio
  • MiniMax

2. Windows Permissions

OpenClaw may request permissions:

  • Firewall — Allow Node.js/OpenClaw through Windows Firewall
  • Antivirus — May need to whitelist OpenClaw directory
  • File System — For reading/writing files

3. PATH Configuration

Ensure OpenClaw is in your PATH:

$env:PATH -split ';' | Select-String "npm"

If not found, add npm global path:

$npmPath = npm config get prefix
$env:PATH += ";$npmPath"
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", $env:Path, [EnvironmentVariableTarget]::User)

Restart PowerShell after modifying PATH.

Running OpenClaw

Start the Server

openclaw

This starts the local server and connects all configured integrations.

Run in Background

Use Start-Process:

Start-Process -NoNewWindow openclaw

Or use a process manager like pm2:

npm i -g pm2
pm2 start openclaw
pm2 save
pm2 startup

Run as Windows Service

Install as a Windows service using node-windows:

npm i -g node-windows

Create a service script (see node-windows docs).

Launch at Startup

Create a scheduled task:

  1. Open Task Scheduler
  2. Create Basic Task
  3. Name: “OpenClaw”
  4. Trigger: “When I log on”
  5. Action: “Start a program”
  6. Program: C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\npm\openclaw.cmd
  7. Arguments: (leave empty)

Or use the Startup folder:

$startup = [Environment]::GetFolderPath("Startup")
$shortcut = "$startup\OpenClaw.lnk"
$shell = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
$link = $shell.CreateShortcut($shortcut)
$link.TargetPath = "C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\npm\openclaw.cmd"
$link.Save()

Windows-Specific Considerations

Antivirus Software

Some antivirus software may flag OpenClaw:

  • Windows Defender — Usually works fine, may need exclusion
  • Third-party AV — May require whitelisting

Add exclusion for:

  • OpenClaw installation directory
  • ~/.openclaw data directory
  • Node.js executable

Firewall Configuration

Allow OpenClaw through Windows Firewall:

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "OpenClaw" -Direction Inbound -Program "C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\openclaw\bin\openclaw.js" -Action Allow

Or use Windows Defender Firewall GUI:

  1. Windows Security → Firewall & network protection
  2. Allow an app through firewall
  3. Add OpenClaw

Long Path Support

Windows has a 260-character path limit. Enable long paths:

  1. Open Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)
  2. Navigate to: Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Filesystem
  3. Enable “Enable Win32 long paths”
  4. Restart computer

Or edit registry (advanced users only).

Line Endings

Windows uses CRLF, Unix uses LF. Most tools handle this automatically, but if you encounter issues:

git config --global core.autocrlf true

Troubleshooting

Command Not Found

If openclaw isn’t recognized:

  1. Check npm global path:

    npm config get prefix

  2. Add to PATH:

    $npmPath = npm config get prefix
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "$env:Path;$npmPath", [EnvironmentVariableTarget]::User)

  3. Restart PowerShell

  4. Verify:

    Get-Command openclaw

Permission Denied

If you see permission errors:

  1. Run PowerShell as Administrator: Right-click PowerShell → “Run as Administrator”

  2. Install globally:

    npm i -g openclaw

  3. Fix npm permissions (alternative):

    mkdir $env:APPDATA\npm-global
npm config set prefix "$env:APPDATA\npm-global"
$env:PATH += ";$env:APPDATA\npm-global"
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", $env:Path, [EnvironmentVariableTarget]::User)

Port Already in Use

Change the port:

openclaw --port 3001

Or find and kill the process:

netstat -ano | findstr :3000
taskkill /PID <PID> /F

Node.js Version Issues

Ensure you have Node.js 18+:

node --version

If outdated, update:

winget upgrade OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS

Or download latest from nodejs.org.

WSL2 Integration

If using WSL2, access Windows files:

# In WSL2
cd /mnt/c/Users/YourName

Access WSL2 files from Windows:

# In PowerShell
cd \\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\username

Performance Tips

WSL2 Performance

If using WSL2:

  • Store OpenClaw data in WSL2 filesystem (faster)
  • Use WSL2 for all operations
  • Access Windows files via /mnt/c/ when needed

Windows Defender

Exclude OpenClaw directories from real-time scanning:

  1. Windows Security → Virus & threat protection
  2. Manage settings → Exclusions
  3. Add folders:
    • C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\npm
    • C:\Users\YourName\.openclaw

Memory Management

Monitor resource usage:

Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.ProcessName -like "*node*"} | Select-Object ProcessName, CPU, WorkingSet

Updating OpenClaw

Update to the latest version:

npm update -g openclaw

Or re-run the installer:

irm https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Uninstalling

Remove OpenClaw:

npm uninstall -g openclaw

Remove configuration:

Remove-Item -Recurse -Force $env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw

Remove from PATH (if manually added).

Next Steps

Now that OpenClaw is installed on Windows:

  1. Connect Chat Apps — WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord
  2. Set Up Integrations — Gmail, Slack
  3. Explore Skills — Skills Library
  4. Read FAQ — Common Questions

Conclusion

Installing OpenClaw on Windows is straightforward with npm. While WSL2 provides the best experience, native Windows installation works perfectly for most users. PowerShell is recommended over CMD for better compatibility and scripting capabilities.

For more help, check our general installation guide or FAQ page. Happy automating on Windows!

Need help?

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