---
layout: documentation
title: Installing Bazel on Windows
---
# Installing Bazel on Windows
### Prerequisites
* 64 bit Windows 7 or newer, or equivalent Windows Server versions
* [MSYS2 shell](https://msys2.github.io/)
* [Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=48145)
These are common DLLs that Bazel needs. You may already have them installed.
### Getting Bazel
Download Bazel for Windows from our
[GitHub releases page](https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel/releases).
Look for `bazel--windows-x86_64.exe`, e.g. `bazel-0.13.0-windows-x86_64.exe`.
**Tip:** For convenience, rename the downloaded binary to `bazel.exe` and move it to a directory
that's on your `%PATH%` or add its directory to your `%PATH%`. This way you can run Bazel by
typing `bazel` in any directory, without typing out the full path.
**Note:** Bazel includes an embedded JDK so you don't need to install one separately. If you want
to download Bazel without an embedded JDK, look for `bazel--without-jdk-windows-x86_64.exe`
on the release page. To use it, you must install JDK 8 separately (older or newer versions are not
supported), and set the `JAVA_HOME` environment variable, e.g.:
set JAVA_HOME=c:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_171
Pay attention not to use quotes (") around the path (like you would on Unixes).
### Other ways to get Bazel
You can also get Bazel by:
* [Installing Bazel using Chocolatey](#install-using-chocolatey)
* [Compiling Bazel from source](install-compile-source.html)
#### Install using Chocolatey
You can install the Bazel package using the [Chocolatey](https://chocolatey.org)
package manager:
choco install bazel
This command will install the latest available version of Bazel and
its dependencies, such as the MSYS2 shell. This will not install Visual C++
though.
See [Chocolatey installation and package maintenance
guide](https://bazel.build/windows-chocolatey-maintenance.html) for more
information about the Chocolatey package.