Tutorial
February 14, 2026
4 min read
Complete guide to installing OpenClaw on Windows. Follow step-by-step instructions from prerequisites to first chat.
Prerequisites
- Windows 10 or later
- PowerShell 5.1 or later
- Node.js 18+ or npm 9+
- Internet connection
Step 1: Install Node.js
# Download from NodeSource
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
Step 2: Install OpenClaw
# Install via npm
npm install -g @openclaw/cli
# Verify installation
openclaw --version
Step 3: Configure OpenClaw
After installation, configure OpenClaw with your preferred LLM and settings:
# Initialize configuration
openclaw init
# Start the daemon
openclaw daemon start
Troubleshooting
PowerShell Execution Policy
If you get execution policy errors, run PowerShell as Administrator:
- Right-click PowerShell → "Run as Administrator"
- Or use
Win+XthenAto open Admin PowerShell
npm Not Found
Ensure Node.js is installed and in your PATH:
# Check Node.js
node --version
# Check npm
npm --version
OpenClaw Not Found
Verify OpenClaw is installed globally:
openclaw --version
Next Steps
References
- OpenClaw Official Documentation - Getting Started Guide - Accessed February 2026
- OpenClaw GitHub Repository - https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw - Accessed February 2026
- Microsoft WSL Documentation - Windows Subsystem for Linux - Accessed February 2026
- Node.js Windows Installer - https://nodejs.org/en/download/ - Accessed February 2026
Get started with OpenClaw on Windows
Install OpenClaw on your Windows system and have a local AI assistant running in minutes.
Get StartedReference Trail
External sources surfaced from the underlying article content
- Getting Started Guidedocs.openclaw.ai
- https://github.com/openclaw/openclawgithub.com
- Windows Subsystem for Linuxlearn.microsoft.com
- https://nodejs.org/en/download/nodejs.org