Install OpenClaw on Windows: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Before You Start

This Duck Editor tutorial will walk you through installing OpenClaw on Windows via WSL, with screenshots for every step.

This tutorial is for installing OpenClaw on Windows 10 (version 2004+) or Windows 11.

💡 Read this first: Why is installing OpenClaw natively on Windows not recommended? — Learn why WSL is the best choice for Windows users.

If you’re on Mac, check out the macOS Installation Guide. If you’d rather not install locally, consider the Cloud Deployment Guide.

What You’ll Need

• Windows 10 (version 2004 or above) or Windows 11
• At least 8GB RAM (16GB recommended)
• At least 5GB of free disk space
• A stable internet connection
• An API Key (at least one): OpenAI / Google / Anthropic, or the free Ollama Cloud option

Check your Windows version: Press Win + R, type winver, and press Enter. No API Key? No problem — there’s a free Ollama Cloud option covered later.

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Choose Your Installation Method

There are two ways to install on Windows:

Method	Difficulty	Best for	Advantage
Method A: WSL 2 (Recommended)	⭐⭐ Medium	Everyone	Linux environment, more stable, officially recommended by OpenClaw
Method B: Native Windows	⭐ Easy	Quick tryout only	No setup required, but many gotchas

Duck Editor recommends going with Method A (WSL) from the start. OpenClaw’s CLI tools are more stable in a Linux environment, and native Windows installs frequently run into issues after prolonged use.

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Method A: WSL 2 Installation (Recommended)

WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) lets you run Linux inside Windows. OpenClaw’s CLI tools and dependencies are more stable in a Linux environment.

📘 Full tutorial: For a deeper understanding of WSL, see the Complete WSL Guide.

Step 1: Verify BIOS Virtualization is Enabled

WSL 2 requires hardware virtualization support. First, check if your computer has it enabled:

Open Command Prompt as Administrator (Win + R → type cmd → Ctrl + Shift + Enter):

systeminfo

Look at the last few lines and find the “Hyper-V Requirements” section:

Hyper-V Requirements:    A hypervisor has been detected. Features required for Hyper-V will not be displayed.

If it shows “Virtualization Enabled In Firmware: No”, you need to enable it in BIOS:

1. Restart your computer, press DEL or F2 to enter BIOS
2. Find Intel VT-x (Intel processors) or AMD-V / SVM Mode (AMD processors)
3. Set it to Enabled
4. Save and restart

Step 2: Install WSL 2

Open PowerShell as Administrator (right-click → Run as administrator):

wsl --install

Restart your computer after installation completes.

After restarting, Ubuntu will automatically open and ask you to set up a username and password.

⚠️ If wsl --install doesn’t respond, go back and verify that BIOS virtualization is enabled (Step 1).

Step 3: Install Node.js 24 (using nvm)

OpenClaw requires Node.js 22.16 or above; the official recommendation is Node 24. Open Ubuntu (launch it from the Start menu):

# Check existing Node version (if installed)
node -v

# If an old version is installed, remove it first
sudo apt remove nodejs -y
sudo apt autoremove -y
sudo apt update

# Install nvm (Node Version Manager)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.4/install.sh | bash

# Reload config (or exit and re-enter)
exit

Re-enter WSL:

wsl -d ubuntu

# Verify nvm
nvm --version

# Install Node.js 24 (officially recommended)
nvm install 24
nvm use 24

# Set as default
nvm alias default 24

# Verify
node -v   # Should show v24.x.x
which node  # Should be at ~/.nvm/versions/node/v24.x.x/bin/node

💡 Already have Node 22.16+? You can keep it (minimum supported version), but the official recommendation is to upgrade to Node 24 when you get a chance.

Step 4: Install and Launch OpenClaw

# Option 1: Global npm install (recommended, easiest)
npm install -g openclaw
openclaw --version

# Option 2: Traditional git clone install
sudo apt install python3.11 python3.11-venv python3-pip git -y
mkdir -p ~/Projects && cd ~/Projects
git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
python3.11 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -r requirements.txt

Set Up API Key

# npm install method: configure during first launch
openclaw start
# First run will guide you through API Key setup

# git clone method: edit .env
cp .env.example .env
nano .env  # Enter API Key, Ctrl+O to save, Ctrl+X to exit
python -m openclaw start

Don’t have an API Key yet? Two free options:

Option 1: Ollama Cloud (Recommended) — Sign up at ollama.com, then in WSL run:

ollama signin
ollama launch openclaw
# Select a cloud model (e.g., qwen3-coder:480b-cloud, deepseek-v3.1:671b-cloud) → no local GPU needed

Option 2: Google AI Studio — Get a free API Key at aistudio.google.com.

WSL’s localhost:3000 is directly accessible from your Windows browser.

🛠️ Bonus Tool: OpenAI Codex CLI (Fix Errors with AI)

If you run into errors while installing OpenClaw in WSL, consider installing OpenAI Codex CLI — an AI coding agent that runs in your terminal and can help diagnose errors and suggest fixes:

# Install Codex CLI (requires Node 22.16+, already installed)
npm install -g @openai/codex

# Use it in your OpenClaw directory
cd ~/Projects/openclaw
codex "explain this error and how to fix it: [paste error message here]"

💡 Codex CLI requires an OpenAI API Key. If you have Ollama installed, it can also be configured to use local models. See Codex CLI docs.

For more on Ollama, see Ollama + OpenClaw Complete Guide.

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Method B: Native Windows Installation (Not Recommended)

⚠️ Method A (WSL) is recommended. Native Windows installs frequently encounter path issues, C++ compiler errors, and other problems over time. The following is provided only for cases where WSL cannot be used.

Step 1: Install Python 3.11+

1. Go to python.org/downloads
2. Download the latest Python 3.11+ installer
3. Run the installer

⚠️ Important! Make sure to check “Add Python to PATH” during installation — many people forget this step!

4. After installation, open Command Prompt (press Win + R, type cmd):

python --version
REM Should display Python 3.11.x or newer

pip --version
REM Should display pip 24.x.x

If python doesn’t work, try python3 or py.

Step 2: Install Git

1. Go to git-scm.com/download/win
2. Download and install (use the default settings)
3. Verify:

git --version
REM Should display git version 2.x.x

Step 3: Install Node.js 24

1. Go to nodejs.org
2. Download Node.js 24 (official recommendation) or the latest LTS version
3. Install (use the default settings)
4. Verify:

node --version
REM Should be v24.x.x (minimum v22.16.0+)

Step 4: Download OpenClaw

REM Create a project directory
mkdir C:\Projects
cd C:\Projects

REM Download OpenClaw
git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw

Step 5: Create a Virtual Environment

REM Create the virtual environment
python -m venv .venv

REM Activate the virtual environment
.venv\Scripts\activate

REM Once activated, the prompt will show (.venv)
REM (.venv) C:\Projects\openclaw>

⚠️ You need to re-activate every time you open a new Command Prompt:

cd C:\Projects\openclaw
.venv\Scripts\activate

Step 6: Install OpenClaw

REM Upgrade pip
pip install --upgrade pip

REM Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

⚠️ If you get a C++ compilation error, you need to install Visual Studio Build Tools:

1. Go to visualstudio.microsoft.com/visual-cpp-build-tools/
2. Download and install
3. Select “Desktop development with C++”
4. Re-run pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 7: Set Up API Key and Launch

REM Copy the config template
copy .env.example .env

REM Edit with Notepad
notepad .env

Fill in at least one API Key in .env, then launch:

python -m openclaw start

If Windows Defender pops up a firewall alert, click “Allow access.”

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Common Issues

python command not found

Cause: Forgot to check “Add Python to PATH” during installation.

Solution:

1. Re-run the Python installer
2. Select “Modify”
3. Make sure “Add Python to environment variables” is checked

Or manually add to PATH:

setx PATH "%PATH%;C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python311"

pip install shows Microsoft Visual C++ 14.0 is required

Install Visual Studio Build Tools (see Step 6).

Firewall blocking OpenClaw

Windows Defender may pop up a warning. Click “Allow” — this just lets Python listen on a local port.

localhost won’t open in WSL

Try using WSL’s IP:

hostname -I
# Use the displayed IP instead of localhost

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Next Steps

Installation complete! Here’s what you can do next:

• 🧩 Learn about Skills: Teach AI repeatable workflows
• 🤖 Build your first Agent
• 🔑 Get a Google API Key to connect more services
• ☁️ Don’t want to manage servers? Try cloud deployment