# How to install Hermes Agent on Windows (native or WSL2) > Hermes Agent runs natively on Windows 10 and 11. Pick the desktop app or the PowerShell installer, or use WSL2 if you need a Linux setup. Canonical: https://hermeswatcher.com/learn/install-hermes-agent-windows Section: Learn ยท Getting started Last reviewed: Oct 28, 2026 Basis: Explained from the official Hermes Agent docs and repository (Nous Research). Steps follow the linked official sources. ## Short answer Yes, Windows is officially supported. The official docs list Windows 10 and 11 (x86_64 and ARM64) as Tier 1, which means the team aims never to break installs and updates there. They also say Hermes runs natively on Windows, with no WSL, Cygwin or Docker needed. You have two native options and one alternative: - Desktop app: the easiest route. It bundles the agent, Python, dependencies and the interfaces. It needs Windows 11 22H2 or later. - Command line installer (PowerShell): works on Windows 10 and 11. Choose this if you are on Windows 10 or only want the terminal. - WSL2: run the Linux installer inside WSL2. Choose this if you do POSIX-heavy development work or want the same setup as Linux. Native and WSL2 installs can live side by side on the same PC. If you are unsure, start native. ## What you need - Windows 10 or 11 for the PowerShell installer. Windows 11 22H2 or later for the desktop app package. - No admin rights for a native install. - No Python or Node.js. The installer provides Python 3.14, Node.js, npm, ripgrep and FFmpeg. If Git is missing, it sets up its own pinned copy of Git for Windows. - For WSL2: Windows 10 22H2 or later, or Windows 11. The docs test against Ubuntu LTS. Debian also works. WSL1 is not reliable. - Windows Terminal is recommended. Legacy `cmd.exe` has Unicode problems. ## Install Desktop app: download the `.appinstaller` file from hermes-agent.nousresearch.com and open it with Windows App Installer. A Microsoft Store version also exists. Command line (native): open PowerShell and run the first command below. No admin window is needed. WSL2 instead: install WSL from an Admin PowerShell window, then run the Linux installer inside your WSL distro. PowerShell (native): ``` iex (irm https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.ps1) ``` Admin PowerShell (WSL2 only): ``` wsl --install ``` Inside WSL: ``` curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash source ~/.bashrc hermes ``` The native installer adds Hermes to your user PATH. Existing terminals do not see that change, so close PowerShell and open a new window before you continue. In WSL2, keep your projects on the Linux side, not under `/mnt/c`. The WSL2 guide says files under `/mnt/c` are 10 to 100 times slower. ## First run and setup In a new PowerShell window, type `hermes` to start chatting. Before that, connect a model. The official docs list these commands: PowerShell: ``` hermes model # Choose your LLM provider and model hermes tools # Configure which tools are enabled hermes gateway setup # Set up messaging platforms hermes config set # Set individual config values hermes config get # Inspect individual config values hermes setup # Or run the full setup wizard to configure everything at once ``` The setup wizard offers three modes on a fresh install. Quick Setup uses a Nous Portal login, so there are no API keys to manage. Full Setup lets you bring your own keys. Blank Slate turns on only your provider and model, plus the File Operations and Terminal toolsets. If you only want to pick a provider and model, run `hermes model` instead of the full wizard. The official docs say Hermes needs a model with at least 64,000 tokens of context. Smaller models are rejected at startup. Using the Nous Portal? `hermes setup --portal` logs you in, sets Nous as your provider and turns on the Tool Gateway in one step. Run `hermes doctor` any time to check the install. ## Where your settings live and how to update - Native: everything is under `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\`. Secrets are in `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\.env`, launchers in `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\bin\` and the code in `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\hermes-agent\`. - WSL2: settings are in `~/.hermes/` inside the Linux side, as on Linux. - Update a command line or WSL2 install with `hermes update`. - Update a sideloaded desktop app with its in-app Update control and Windows App Installer. The Store version updates through the Microsoft Store. For backups and rollback before a big update, see /learn/updating-hermes-safely. ## Common problems - `hermes` is not found right after install: open a new PowerShell window. The PATH change only reaches new terminals. - Antivirus flags `uv.exe`: the README calls this a false positive for `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\bin\uv.exe`. It gives verification steps and this exclusion, run from an Admin PowerShell: `Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\hermes\bin"`. - The `[scriptblock]::Create` form of the installer fails: use the plain `irm` and `iex` one-liner above instead. - On Windows ARM64, some optional extras are not available, such as Faster-Whisper speech-to-text. - In WSL2, OAuth logins fail after the PC sleeps: the clock has drifted. Run `sudo hwclock -s` inside WSL. - In WSL2, scripts break with odd errors: check for Windows CRLF line endings. More fixes are in /troubleshoot/windows-specific-problems and /troubleshoot/install-or-update-failed. ## Next step Next: follow /learn/first-24-hours-default-setup to get a safe default setup. When the CLI chat works, connect a chat app with the messaging gateway: /learn/messaging-gateway-explained. ## Related tools - [Wake up to a useful research briefing](https://hermeswatcher.com/workflows/daily-research-briefing.md) - [CLI: run bounded tasks and inspect the working environment](https://hermeswatcher.com/tools/cli.md) - [Desktop: manage conversations and inspect artifacts visually](https://hermeswatcher.com/tools/desktop.md) - [Models and providers: configure the actual inference route](https://hermeswatcher.com/tools/models.md) ## Sources - [Installation](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/installation) - [Platform Support](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/platform-support) - [Windows (Native) Guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/windows-native) - [Windows (WSL2) Guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/windows-wsl-quickstart) - [Quickstart](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/quickstart) - [Updating & Uninstalling](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/updating) - [FAQ & Troubleshooting](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/reference/faq) - [Hermes Agent README](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent) --- HermesWatcher is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nous Research. The [official Hermes Agent documentation](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs) and [repository](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent) from Nous Research are the authority; each page here lists the official sources it was written from. If this site and the official docs disagree, trust the official docs. Index for agents: https://hermeswatcher.com/llms.txt