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Set Up Your PC

Get everything installed in under 15 minutes.

On Mac? Switch to the Mac guide →

First: Open PowerShell

PowerShell is how you'll run all these commands. Don't worry, you're just copying and pasting.

1. Press Win + S (or the Win key). 2. Type PowerShell. 3. Right-click and choose Run as Administrator.

[ Screenshot: PowerShell search in Windows ]
1. winget 2. Node 3. Python 4. Git 5. OpenClaw 6. VS Code 7. Files 8. Open
1

Install winget

winget is the Windows package manager. Windows 11 already includes it. On Windows 10, install App Installer from the Microsoft Store first.

winget --version
2

Install Node.js

Node.js allows your computer to run the code that powers your agents.

winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS

Close PowerShell, open it again, then verify:

node --version
npm --version
3

Install Python 3

Python is used for many AI tools and automations.

winget install Python.Python.3

Close PowerShell, open it again, then verify:

python --version
4

Install Git

Git tracks changes in code and lets you download templates.

winget install Git.Git

Verify it worked:

git --version
5

Install OpenClaw

OpenClaw is the engine that runs your personal AI agent.

npm install -g openclaw

Verify it worked:

openclaw --version
6

Install VS Code

Visual Studio Code is the editor you'll use to view your agent's files.

winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode
  1. Or download from code.visualstudio.com.
  2. Open VS Code.
  3. Press Ctrl + Shift + P to open the Command Palette.
  4. Type shell command and select Install 'code' command in PATH.

Close PowerShell, open it again, then verify:

code --version
7

Show Hidden Files

OpenClaw stores your agent in a C:\Users\[YourName]\.openclaw folder. Folders starting with a dot are hidden by default.

explorer $env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw
  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. Go to the View tab and check Hidden items.
  3. Or choose View → Options → View, then select Show hidden files, folders, and drives.
  4. Look for the .openclaw folder in C:\Users\[YourName]\.

What this does: reveals the folder where OpenClaw stores your workspace and settings.

8

Open VS Code from a Folder

Navigate to C:\Users\[YourName]\.openclaw\workspace\ in File Explorer and right-click to open it with VS Code. Or, run this in PowerShell:

code $env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw\workspace

What you'll see:

dir $env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw\workspace

Inside, you'll see your agent files, SOUL.md, and memory files.

Already comfortable with Linux?

Use WSL2 and follow our Mac guide instead. You'll get a full Ubuntu environment on Windows.

Read Microsoft's WSL2 docs →

Troubleshooting

"winget not recognized" ▼
Windows 10 needs App Installer from the Store, or use manual installs.
"npm not recognized after install" ▼
Close and reopen PowerShell to refresh PATH.
"execution policy" errors ▼
Run Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser then retry.
"permission denied" or "access denied" ▼
Make sure PowerShell is running as Administrator.
VS Code "code not recognized" ▼
Reinstall the shell command from the Command Palette.