DOALocal AI › How to install local AI on Windows, step by step
How to install local AI on Windows, step by step
From easiest to most technical. Each step comes from the tool's official instructions, linked in the text.
Checked on 13 Oct 2026. Versions change every week: check the official site before installing.
1. LM Studio
Download the installer from lmstudio.ai/download, run it, open LM Studio, go to «Discover», search for a model, click «Download» and then «Chat». Official requirements: x64 CPU with AVX2 (or Arm64), 16 GB of RAM and at least 4 GB of dedicated VRAM recommended (system requirements).
2. Ollama
Download and run OllamaSetup.exe (from ollama.com/download).
First use, on any system: ollama run gemma4 or ollama run qwen3.5:4b. ollama list shows the models you have installed. The local API listens on http://localhost:11434 (README). Models marked «-cloud» in the Ollama library do not run on your computer.
3. Jan
Download the installer from jan.ai or from the links in the README (Windows jan.exe, macOS jan.dmg, Linux jan.deb / jan.AppImage / Arm64), open «Hub», download a model and start chatting.
4. GPT4All
Low activity: no new release since February 2025 (latest: v3.10.0, 25 Feb 2025). It may still work, but it is not getting recent improvements or fixes.
Download the official installer listed in the README (Windows gpt4all-installer-win64.exe, Windows ARM, macOS gpt4all-installer-darwin.dmg and Linux) and download a model from inside the app.
Images
To generate images, see Generate AI images locally with ComfyUI.
Keep reading
- Local AI: how to run AI on your computer offline (2026)
- Tools to run AI locally: Ollama, LM Studio, Jan and more
- How to install local AI on a Mac, step by step
- How to install local AI on Linux, step by step
- Which local AI model to pick for your RAM: 8, 16, 24, 32 GB
- Local AI on a Mac with Apple Silicon: guide and models
- Generate AI images locally with ComfyUI
- Local AI vs. cloud AI: privacy, cost and limits
- Local AI: frequently asked questions