# Windows Installation (/desktop/install/windows)

Jan runs on Windows 10 and higher, supporting NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel Arc GPUs.

## Install Jan [#install-jan]

<Steps>

### Download [#download]

<DownloadButton href="https://app.jan.ai/download/latest/win-x64">Download Jan for Windows (x64)</DownloadButton>

On a Windows on ARM PC, get the **ARM64** installer from the [download page](https://jan.ai/download) instead.

### Install [#install]

1. Run the downloaded `.exe` file
2. Wait for installation to complete
3. Launch Jan

</Steps>

## Compatibility [#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-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:

```sh
~\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Roaming\Jan\data
```

See [Jan Data Folder](/desktop/data-folder) for details.

## GPU Acceleration [#gpu-acceleration]

<Tabs items={['NVIDIA GPU', 'AMD GPU', 'Intel Arc GPU']}>

<Tabs.Tab>

<Steps>

### Step 1: Verify Hardware & Install Dependencies [#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 Required components**
**NVIDIA Driver:**
1. Install [NVIDIA Driver](https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/drivers/) (version **470.63.01 or higher**)
2. Verify installation:

```sh
nvidia-smi
```

**CUDA Toolkit:**
1. Install [CUDA toolkit](https://developer.nvidia.com/cuda-downloads) (**11.7 or higher**)
2. Verify installation:

```sh
nvcc --version
```
### Step 2: Enable GPU Acceleration [#step-2-enable-gpu-acceleration]

Navigate to **Settings** (<Settings width={16} height={16} style={{display:"inline"}}/>) > **Hardware** > **GPUs**
and toggle the **ON** switch if not enabled.

</Steps>

</Tabs.Tab>

<Tabs.Tab>

Jan supports AMD GPUs via two backends: **Vulkan** (default) and **llama.cpp HIP** (ROCm-accelerated). The HIP backend provides significantly better performance than Vulkan for supported AMD GPUs.

<Steps>

### Option A: Vulkan Backend (Default) [#option-a-vulkan-backend-default]

Vulkan works out of the box with no additional setup.

Navigate to **Settings** (<Settings width={16} height={16} style={{display:"inline"}}/>) > **Hardware** > **GPUs**
and toggle the **ON** switch if not enabled.

### Option B: llama.cpp HIP Backend (Recommended) [#option-b-llamacpp-hip-backend-recommended]

For better performance, use the HIP backend with ROCm installed.

**1. Check GPU Detection**

Verify your AMD GPU is recognized:
- Open Device Manager > Display Adapters
- Or run `dxdiag` and check the Display tab

**2. Install ROCm**

1. Download and install [AMD ROCm for Windows](https://www.amd.com/en/developer/resources/rocm-hub/hip-sdk.html) (**6.0 or higher**)
2. Follow the installer instructions and restart your computer when prompted
3. Verify installation:

```sh
hipInfo
```

**3. Download and Install llama.cpp HIP Backend**

Jan does not ship with a pre-built HIP backend. You need to download it manually from the official llama.cpp releases:

1. Go to the [llama.cpp releases page](https://github.com/ggerganov/llama.cpp/releases)
2. Download the latest release with `hip` in the filename (e.g., `llama-<version>-bin-win-hip-x64.zip`)
3. Extract the downloaded archive
4. In Jan, navigate to **Settings** (<Settings width={16} height={16} style={{display:"inline"}}/>) > **Model Providers** > **Llama.cpp**
5. Use the backend version selector to point at the extracted folder
6. Go to **Settings** (<Settings width={16} height={16} style={{display:"inline"}}/>) > **Hardware** and ensure GPU acceleration is enabled

</Steps>

<Callout type="info">
The HIP backend requires a compatible AMD GPU (RX 6000 series or newer recommended) and ROCm installed. If you encounter issues, fall back to the Vulkan backend.
</Callout>

</Tabs.Tab>

<Tabs.Tab>
Intel Arc GPUs require **Vulkan** support.

Navigate to **Settings** (<Settings width={16} height={16} style={{display:"inline"}}/>) > **Hardware** > **GPUs**
and toggle the **ON** switch if not enabled.
</Tabs.Tab>
</Tabs>

## Uninstall Jan [#uninstall-jan]

<Steps>

### Step 1: Remove Application through Control Panel [#step-1-remove-application-through-control-panel]

1. Open **Control Panels**
2. Go to **Programs** section
3. Click **Uninstall Program**
4. Search for **Jan**
5. Click the **Three Dots Icon** > **Uninstall**
6. Click **Uninstall** again to confirm
7. Click **OK**

### Step 2: Clean Up Remaining Files [#step-2-clean-up-remaining-files]

Remove app data:

1. Navigate to `C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming`
2. Delete Jan folder

or via **Terminal**:

```sh
cd C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming
rmdir /S Jan
```
</Steps>

<Callout type="warning">
Deleted data folders cannot be recovered. Backup important data first.
</Callout>