How to Install Node JS on Windows

Get your Windows PC ready to code with Node JS

by
Nick Congleton
Nicholas Congleton
Writer
Nick Congleton has been a tech writer and blogger since 2015. His work has appeared in PCMech, Make Tech Easier, Infosec Institute, and others.
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Nicholas Congleton
Updated on January 16, 2020

Node JS is an incredibly popular web technology that lets you run JavaScript, which is already the go-to language of the web, on the back end of your website. Node is powerful and it runs more quickly than other popular server-side scripting languages. It also enables developers to use one language for both the front end and the back end of their sites.

How to Install Node JS on Windows PCs

Even though Node JS, like many web languages, tends to be easier to work with on Mac and Linux, but that doesn’t mean that Windows users are stuck without it. You can still easily get Node JS running on your Windows PC.

  1. Open your browser, then head over to the Node JS download page.

    Node JS download page

  2. Select the Windows Installer, and begin your download.

  3. When the download’s complete, run the installer.

  4. The install wizard will open and greet you. Select Next to continue.

    Node JS start installer on Windows

  5. Next, you’ll be asked to accept the Node JS license. Read and accept the license and then select Next to keep moving.

    Accept Node JS license on Windows

  6. The next screen will ask you to choose an installation directory for Node JS. The default option in your Program Files directory will work in most cases, but if you want something custom, select Change and navigate to the location you prefer. When you're done, select Next.

    Node JS choose install directory

  7. You’ll then have an opportunity to change the Node JS setup and choose which components you install. Unless you need something custom, leave this alone, then select Next.  

    Node JS confirm setup

  8. The installer will then ask if you want to install the tools to build native modules for Node JS. Select the box for Automatically install the necessary tools, then select Next.

    Node JS install native Windows modules

    Because Node isn’t generally intended to run on Windows, it’s a good idea to install these modules for the absolute best possible compatibility now, rather than having to go back later and fill in gaps.

  9. With the setup complete, you’ll be presented with the option to begin the installation. Select Install to start.

    Node JS begin install on Windows

  10. The installation will run. It should only take a few seconds to run through. When it’s done, you’ll see a success message letting you know that Node JS was installed. Select Finish to complete the install.

    Node JS finish install on Windows

  11. A command line window will now appear and ask you to install the additional modules. Press any key to start.

  12. A PowerShell window will launch to begin the installation. Confirm anything that it asks. This process will install several components and modules from multiple locations, so it may take some time.

    Node JS installing additional modules on Windows 10

  13. Finally, the install will complete and the PowerShell window will close. You’re officially ready to work with Node.

  14. Open the Start menu, scroll and select the Node.js folder to expand the entry, then select Node.js.

    Start Node JS Windows Start menu

  15. A Node console window will open. Here you can test out Node. You can type any JavaScript code in the console, and Node will run it. It’s simplest to test with:

    console.log(“something”);
    Node JS running on Windows 10

  16. That’s it! You’re ready to start developing with Node JS on your Windows PC.