How to Install OpenClaw on Any Device — The Complete Step-by-Step Guide

OpenClaw runs on macOS, Linux, Windows and Docker. Installation takes under 10 minutes on any platform. Here is exactly what to do — including fixes for the most common errors.

The only real prerequisite for OpenClaw is Node.js version 18 or higher. If you have that, the rest takes minutes. If you do not, installing it takes two minutes on any platform. Let us start there.

Step 0: Check or Install Node.js

Open your terminal (Terminal on Mac, Command Prompt or PowerShell on Windows, any terminal on Linux) and run:

node --version

If you see v18 or higher, you are ready. If you see an older version or "command not found", download Node.js from nodejs.org — choose the LTS version and run the installer. Close and reopen your terminal after installation.

macOS — Two Methods

The script installer is the fastest option. One command does everything — checks for Node.js, installs OpenClaw and launches the onboarding wizard automatically:

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

npm install gives you more control and works identically:

npm install -g openclaw
openclaw onboard

Linux (Ubuntu and Debian)

First ensure you have curl and git installed — a missing git causes silent failures that are frustrating to debug:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y curl git
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs
npm install -g openclaw
openclaw onboard

For Arch Linux, a community-maintained AUR package is available: yay -S openclaw

Windows

Download the Node.js Windows installer from nodejs.org (LTS version). After installation, open PowerShell or Command Prompt and run:

npm install -g openclaw
openclaw onboard

If you want the best experience on Windows, consider using WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) which gives you a full Ubuntu environment. Run wsl --install in PowerShell as Administrator, restart, then follow the Linux instructions above inside your Ubuntu terminal.

Docker — The Safe Sandbox Option

Docker is the best choice if you want to test OpenClaw without it having access to your main file system, or if you are deploying it on a server:

docker pull openclaw/openclaw:latest
docker run -d --name openclaw   -p 3000:3000 -p 18789:18789   -v ~/.openclaw:/home/openclaw/.openclaw   openclaw/openclaw:latest

Verifying Your Installation

After installation on any platform, run these three commands:

openclaw --version    # confirms installation
openclaw doctor       # diagnoses any configuration issues
openclaw status       # shows whether Gateway is running

If openclaw doctor reports issues, it tells you exactly what to fix. Address every warning before moving on to configuration.

The Most Common Error and Its Fix

The most frequent installation issue: command not found: openclaw after a successful npm install. This means npm's global binary directory is not in your PATH. Fix it by running:

export PATH="$PATH:$(npm bin -g)"

Add this line to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc file to make it permanent.