Windows Installation
Jan runs on Windows 10 and higher, supporting NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel Arc GPUs.
Install Jan
Download
Download Jan for Windows (x64)On a Windows on ARM PC, get the ARM64 installer from the download page instead.
Install
- Run the downloaded
.exefile - Wait for installation to complete
- Launch Jan
Compatibility
- Operating System: Windows 10 or higher
- CPU: x64 with AVX2 support — Intel Haswell (2013+), AMD Excavator (2015+) — or ARM64 (Windows on ARM)
- Memory: 8GB minimum (16GB recommended)
- GPU: 6GB VRAM minimum for NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel Arc GPUs
- Storage: 10GB free space minimum
Jan Data Folder
Jan stores all your data locally — downloaded models, conversation threads, settings, and logs generated from using the app. Nothing is sent to the cloud.
Default location:
~\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming\Jan\dataSee Jan Data Folder for details.
GPU Acceleration
Step 1: Verify Hardware & Install Dependencies
1.1. Check GPU Detection
Verify GPU is recognized:
- Right-click desktop > NVIDIA Control Panel
- Or check Device Manager > Display Adapters
1.2. Install the NVIDIA driver
Install a current NVIDIA driver supported by your GPU, then verify detection:
nvidia-smiJan bundles its CUDA 13 engine and runtime libraries. You do not need to install the CUDA Toolkit or run nvcc. GPUs or drivers that cannot use CUDA 13 use Vulkan instead; keep your GPU's Vulkan-capable driver installed. See Hardware Backends.
Step 2: Enable GPU Acceleration
Navigate to Settings () > Hardware > GPUs and turn on your GPU's switch if disabled.
Jan uses the bundled Vulkan backend for AMD GPUs. Install a current AMD graphics driver with Vulkan support; no separate HIP/ROCm backend download is needed.
If you need HIP on a supported AMD GPU, run a HIP build of llama-server separately and connect it as an OpenAI-compatible custom endpoint. This does not replace Jan's bundled engine; the old backend selector is no longer available.
Verify your GPU appears in Device Manager > Display Adapters, then navigate to Settings () > Hardware > GPUs and turn on your GPU's switch if disabled.
Intel Arc GPUs require Vulkan support.
Navigate to Settings () > Hardware > GPUs and turn on your GPU's switch if disabled.
Uninstall Jan
Step 1: Remove Application through Control Panel
- Open Control Panels
- Go to Programs section
- Click Uninstall Program
- Search for Jan
- Click the Three Dots Icon > Uninstall
- Click Uninstall again to confirm
- Click OK
Step 2: Clean Up Remaining Files
Remove app data:
- Navigate to
C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming - Delete Jan folder
or via Terminal:
cd C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming
rmdir /S JanDeleted data folders cannot be recovered. Backup important data first.