Install on Windows
The supported Windows install paths, what the installer verifies, and how to handle SmartScreen on an unsigned preview build.
Windows x64 is the only platform with a published NALA download today.
Outcome: NALA installed, verified against the published digest, with the
nala command working in a new terminal.
Requirements
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 11 |
| RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Disk | 500 MB app + 1 GB models | 2 GB total |
| Architecture | x64 | x64 |
PLATFORM
Windows on ARM64 is declared as a platform identifier but has no published build. Running the x64 build under emulation is untested. See platform support.
Option 1 — PowerShell installer (recommended)
irm https://nalaos.dev/install.ps1 | iex
The generated script does four things in order:
- Reads the current release manifest from the site.
- Downloads the artifact for
windows-x64. - Verifies the exact byte size and lowercase SHA-256 against the manifest.
- Runs the installer only if both match.
If the release changes between steps 1 and 2, the download is rejected with a message telling you to fetch a fresh installer. This is deliberate: it stops a half-published release from being installed.
Option 2 — Command Prompt
powershell -NoProfile -Command "irm 'https://nalaos.dev/install.ps1' | iex"
Identical behaviour; -NoProfile keeps your PowerShell profile out of the run.
Option 3 — Inspect first, then run
Piping a remote script straight into a shell is convenient and it is also the thing security teams object to. The inspectable path:
irm https://nalaos.dev/install.ps1 -OutFile install-nala.ps1
notepad install-nala.ps1
./install-nala.ps1
Option 4 — Direct download
Download the Setup.exe from the download page and
verify it yourself before running:
Get-FileHash .\NALA-*.Setup.exe -Algorithm SHA256
Compare the result to the SHA-256 shown on the download page. They must match exactly, character for character.
SmartScreen
The preview build is not Authenticode signed, so Windows SmartScreen will warn you.
SECURITY
Do not disable SmartScreen globally to work around this. Turning off a machine-wide protection to install one application is a bad trade. Verify the SHA-256 yourself, then use More info → Run anyway for this file only.
Signed production releases are on the roadmap; until then the preview channel labels its signature status honestly in the release manifest and on the download page.
Verify the install
nala --version
nala doctor
nala doctor reports the daemon state, provider detection, and runtime
prerequisites. It is the first thing to run whenever something looks wrong.
Expected result: a version matching the one on the download page, and a doctor report with no failed checks.
Common recovery
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
nala is not recognised | PATH not refreshed | Open a new terminal |
| Installer exits immediately | SmartScreen blocked it | Verify the hash, then Run anyway |
| Hash mismatch reported | Interrupted download, or a release published mid-download | Re-run the installer |
| Doctor reports no daemon | Daemon not started yet | Launch nala desktop once, then re-run |
More detail: installation troubleshooting.