docs/articles_en/get-started/install-openvino/install-openvino-archive-windows.rst
.. meta:: :description: Learn how to install OpenVINO™ Runtime on Windows operating system, using an archive file.
.. note::
Note that the Archive distribution:
Before installing OpenVINO, see the
:doc:System Requirements page <../../../about-openvino/release-notes-openvino/system-requirements>.
Installing OpenVINO Runtime ###########################
.. _install-openvino-archive-windows:
Step 1: Download and Install OpenVINO Core Components +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Create an Intel folder in the C:\Program Files (x86)\ directory. Skip this step if the folder already exists.
You can also do this via command-lines. Open a new command prompt window as administrator by right-clicking Command Prompt from the Start menu and select Run as administrator, and then run the following command:
.. code-block:: sh
mkdir "C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel"
.. note::
C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel is the recommended folder. You may also use a different path if desired or if you don't have administrator privileges on your computer.
Download the OpenVINO Runtime archive file for Windows <https://storage.openvinotoolkit.org/repositories/openvino/packages/2026.1/windows/>__ to your local Downloads folder.
If you prefer using command-lines, run the following commands in the command prompt window you opened:
.. code-block:: sh
cd <user_home>/Downloads curl -L https://storage.openvinotoolkit.org/repositories/openvino/packages/2026.1/windows/openvino_toolkit_windows_2026.1.0.21367.63e31528c62_x86_64.zip --output openvino_2026.1.0.zip
.. note::
A .sha256 file is provided together with the archive file to validate your download
process. To do that, download the .sha256 file from the same repository and run
CertUtil -hashfile openvino_2026.1.0.zip SHA256. Compare the returned value in the
output with what's in the .sha256 file: if the values are the same, you have
downloaded the correct file successfully; if not, create a Support ticket
here <https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/contact-intel.html>__.
Use your favorite tool to extract the archive file, rename the extracted folder, and move it to the C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel directory.
To do this step using command-line, run the following commands in the command prompt window you opened:
.. code-block:: sh
tar -xf openvino_2026.1.0.zip ren openvino_toolkit_windows_2026.1.0.21367.63e31528c62_x86_64 openvino_2026.1.0 move openvino_2026.1.0 "C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel"
(Optional) Install numpy Python Library:
.. note::
This step is required only when you decide to use Python API.
You can use the requirements.txt file from the C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\openvino_2026.1.0\python folder:
.. code-block:: sh
cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\openvino_2026.1.0" python -m pip install -r .\python\requirements.txt
For simplicity, it is useful to create a symbolic link. Open a command prompt window as administrator (see Step 1 for how to do this) and run the following commands:
.. code-block:: sh
cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel mklink /D openvino_2026 openvino_2026.1.0
.. note::
If you have already installed a previous release of OpenVINO 2026, a symbolic link to the
openvino_2026 folder may already exist. If you want to override it, navigate to the
C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel folder and delete the existing linked folder before
running the mklink command.
Congratulations, you have finished the installation! For some use cases you may still
need to install additional components. Check the description below, as well as the
:doc:list of additional configurations <./configurations>
to see if your case needs any of them.
The C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\openvino_2026 folder now contains the core components
for OpenVINO.
If you used a different path in Step 1, you will find the openvino_2026 folder there.
The path to the openvino_2026 directory is also referred as <INSTALL_DIR>
throughout the OpenVINO documentation.
.. _set-the-environment-variables-windows:
Step 2: Configure the Environment +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You must update several environment variables before you can compile and run OpenVINO™ applications.
.. tab-set::
.. tab-item:: PowerShell :sync: powershell
Open the PowerShell, and run the ``setupvars.ps1`` file to temporarily set your
environment variables.
.. code-block:: sh
. <path-to-setupvars-folder>/setupvars.ps1
.. tab-item:: Command Prompt :sync: cmd
Open the Command Prompt, and run the ``setupvars.bat`` batch file to temporarily set
your environment variables. If your ``<INSTALL_DIR>`` is not
``C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\openvino_2026``, use the correct directory instead.
.. code-block:: sh
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\openvino_2026\setupvars.bat"
.. important::
You need to run the command for each new Command Prompt window.
.. note::
If you see an error indicating Python is not installed, Python may not be added to the PATH environment variable
(as described here <https://docs.python.org/3/using/windows.html#finding-the-python-executable>__).
Check your system environment variables, and add Python if necessary.
What's Next? ####################
Now that you've installed OpenVINO Runtime, you're ready to run your own machine learning applications! Learn more about how to integrate a model in OpenVINO applications by trying out the following tutorials.
.. tab-set::
.. tab-item:: Get started with Python :sync: get-started-py
Try the `Python Quick Start Example <https://github.com/openvinotoolkit/openvino_notebooks/tree/latest/notebooks/vision-monodepth>`__ to estimate depth in a scene using an OpenVINO monodepth model in a Jupyter Notebook inside your web browser.
.. image:: https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/15709723/127752390-f6aa371f-31b5-4846-84b9-18dd4f662406.gif
:width: 400
Visit the :doc:`Tutorials <../../../get-started/learn-openvino/interactive-tutorials-python>` page for more Jupyter Notebooks to get you started with OpenVINO, such as:
* `OpenVINO Python API Tutorial <https://github.com/openvinotoolkit/openvino_notebooks/tree/latest/notebooks/openvino-api>`__
* `Basic image classification program with Hello Image Classification <https://github.com/openvinotoolkit/openvino_notebooks/tree/latest/notebooks/hello-world>`__
* `Convert a PyTorch model and use it for image background removal <https://github.com/openvinotoolkit/openvino_notebooks/tree/latest/notebooks/vision-background-removal>`__
.. tab-item:: Get started with C++ :sync: get-started-cpp
Try the :doc:`C++ Quick Start Example <../../../get-started/learn-openvino/openvino-samples/get-started-demos>` for step-by-step instructions on building and running a basic image classification C++ application.
.. image:: https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/36741649/127170593-86976dc3-e5e4-40be-b0a6-206379cd7df5.jpg
:width: 400
Visit the :ref:`Samples <code samples>` page for other C++ example applications to get you started with OpenVINO, such as:
* :doc:`Basic object detection with the Hello Reshape SSD C++ sample <../../../get-started/learn-openvino/openvino-samples/hello-reshape-ssd>`
* :doc:`Object classification sample <../../../get-started/learn-openvino/openvino-samples/hello-classification>`
.. _uninstall-from-windows:
Uninstalling OpenVINO Runtime #############################
If you have installed OpenVINO Runtime from archive files, you can uninstall it by deleting the archive files and the extracted folders. Uninstallation removes all Intel® Distribution of OpenVINO™ Toolkit component files but does not affect user files in the installation directory.
If you have created the symbolic link, remove the link first.
Use either of the following methods to delete the files:
.. code-block:: sh
rmdir /s <extracted_folder> del <path_to_archive>
Additional Resources ####################
Troubleshooting Guide for OpenVINO Installation & Configuration <../install-openvino>Convert models for use with OpenVINO™ <../../../openvino-workflow/model-preparation/convert-model-to-ir>Write your own OpenVINO™ applications <../../../openvino-workflow/running-inference>OpenVINO™ Toolkit Samples Overview <../../../get-started/learn-openvino/openvino-samples>Hugging Face <https://huggingface.co/OpenVINO>__.