> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Install CockroachDB on Windows

> [!TIP]
>
> To try CockroachDB Cloud instead of running CockroachDB yourself, refer to the [Cloud Quickstart](https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/docs/cockroachcloud/quickstart.md).
> **This page refers to CockroachDB v26.3.** The latest supported production release is CockroachDB v26.1.
> CockroachDB executable for Windows is experimental and not suitable for production deployments. Windows 8 or higher is required.
> Use one of the options below to install CockroachDB. To upgrade an existing cluster, refer to [Upgrade to v26.3](https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/docs/stable/upgrade-cockroach-version.md).

## Download the executable

You can download and install CockroachDB for Windows in two ways. Either:

* **Recommended**: Visit [Releases](https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/docs/releases/index.md?filters=windows) to download CockroachDB. The archive contains the `cockroach.exe` binary. Extract the archive and optionally copy the `cockroach.exe` binary into your `PATH` so you can execute [cockroach commands](https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/docs/stable/cockroach-commands.md) from any shell. Releases are rolled out gradually, so the latest version may not yet be downloadable.
* Instead of downloading the binary directly, you can use PowerShell to download and install CockroachDB:

1. Visit [Releases](https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/docs/releases/index.md) and make a note of the full version of CockroachDB to install, such as . Releases are rolled out gradually, so the latest version may not yet be downloadable.
2. Save the following PowerShell script and replace the following:

* `VERSION`: the full version of CockroachDB to download, such as \`\`. Replace this value in both the `Invoke-WebRequest` statement and the `Copy-Item` statement.
* `{ INSTALL_DIRECTORY }`: the local file path where the `cockroachdb.exe` executable will be installed. Replace the value in both the `Destination` argument and the `$Env:PATH` statement, which adds the destination directory to your `PATH`.

```powershell theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-mocha","dark":"catppuccin-mocha"}}
$ErrorActionPreference = "Stop";
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12;$ProgressPreference = 'SilentlyContinue'; $null = New-Item -Type Directory -Force $env:appdata/cockroach;
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://binaries.cockroachdb.com/cockroach-VERSION.windows-6.2-amd64.zip -OutFile cockroach.zip;
Expand-Archive -Force -Path cockroach.zip;
Copy-Item -Force "cockroach/cockroach-VERSION.windows-6.2-amd64/cockroach.exe" -Destination $env:{ INSTALL_DIRECTORY };$Env:PATH += ";$env:{ INSTALL_DIRECTORY }"
```

1. Run the PowerShell script. To run a PowerShell script from a file, use syntax like:

```powershell theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-mocha","dark":"catppuccin-mocha"}}
powershell.exe -Command "{path_to_script}"
```

1. Check that the installation succeeded and that you can run `cockroach` commands:

```shell theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-mocha","dark":"catppuccin-mocha"}}
cockroach version
```

## Use Kubernetes

To orchestrate CockroachDB using [Kubernetes](https://kubernetes.io/), use the official [CockroachDB operator](https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/docs/stable/cockroachdb-operator-overview.md#cockroachdb-operator).

You can evaluate a CockroachDB Kubernetes deployment on a local machine with [minikube](https://minikube.sigs.k8s.io/docs/start/).

## Use Docker

> [!CAUTION]
>
> This section shows how to install CockroachDB on a Windows host using Docker. On a Linux or Windows Docker host, the image creates a Linux container.
> Running a stateful application like CockroachDB in Docker is more complex and error-prone than most uses of Docker. Unless you are very experienced with Docker, we recommend starting with a different installation and deployment method.
> Docker images are [multi-platform images](https://docs.docker.com/build/building/multi-platform/) that contain binaries for both Intel and ARM. Multi-platform images do not take up additional space on your Docker host.
> Intel binaries can run on ARM systems, but with a significant reduction in performance.
>
> 1. Install [Docker for Windows](https://docs.docker.com/docker-for-windows/install/).
>    Docker for Windows requires 64-bit Windows 10 Pro and Microsoft Hyper-V. Refer to the [official documentation](https://docs.docker.com/docker-for-windows/install/#what-to-know-before-you-install) for more details. If your system does not satisfy the stated requirements, you can try using [Docker Toolbox](https://docs.docker.com/toolbox/overview/).
> 2. In PowerShell, confirm that Docker is running in the background:
>
> ```powershell theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-mocha","dark":"catppuccin-mocha"}}
> docker version
> ```
>
> If you see an error, verify your Docker for Windows installation, then try again.
>
> 1. [Enable synchronized drive sharing](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/synchronized-file-sharing/) so you can mount local directories as data volumes to persist node data after containers are stopped or deleted.
>     1\. Visit [Docker Hub](https://hub.docker.com/layers//) and make a note of the full version of CockroachDB to pull. Releases are rolled out gradually, so the latest version may not yet be available. Using the `latest` tag is not recommended; to pull the latest release within a major version, use a tag like `latest-v26.3`. The following command always pulls the \`\` image.
>
> ```powershell theme={"theme":{"light":"catppuccin-mocha","dark":"catppuccin-mocha"}}
> docker pull :
> ```
>
> Keep up-to-date with CockroachDB releases and best practices:

## What's next?

* If you're just getting started with CockroachDB:
  * [Create a CockroachDB Cloud account](https://cockroachlabs.cloud/signup?experience=enterprise) where you can [generate and manage licenses](https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/docs/stable/licensing-faqs.md) for CockroachDB installations
  * [Start a cluster locally](https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/docs/stable/start-a-local-cluster.md) and talk to it via the built-in SQL client
  * [Learn more about CockroachDB SQL](https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/docs/stable/learn-cockroachdb-sql)
  * [Explore CockroachDB features](https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/docs/stable/demo-replication-and-rebalancing.md) like automatic replication, rebalancing, and fault tolerance
* If you're ready to run CockroachDB in production:
  * Review the [Production Checklist](https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/docs/stable/recommended-production-settings.md)
  * [Deploy CockroachDB manually](https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/docs/stable/manual-deployment.md) or [use an orchestration system like Kubernetes](https://docs.cockroachlabs.com/docs/stable/kubernetes-overview.md)