solution install high windows

Windows: 'openclaw' is not recognized after install

Fix Windows PATH issues after installing OpenClaw globally (npm prefix not on PATH, terminal not restarted, or multiple Node installs).

By CoClaw Team •

Symptoms

  • PowerShell shows:
    • 'openclaw' is not recognized as an internal or external command
  • You just installed OpenClaw, but the command isn’t available.

Cause

On Windows, global npm installs place executables into a global bin folder (commonly %AppData%\\npm). If that folder is not on PATH (or you haven’t restarted the terminal), openclaw won’t be found.

Fix

1) Restart PowerShell/Windows Terminal

Close all terminals and reopen one (PATH changes don’t always apply to existing shells).

2) Find your npm global prefix

npm config get prefix

Your global bin folder is usually <prefix>\\bin (or %AppData%\\npm depending on Node setup).

3) Add the global bin folder to PATH

Add it via Windows Environment Variables UI, then reopen the terminal.

Verify

where openclaw
openclaw --help

Verification & references

  • Reviewed by:CoClaw Code Team
  • Last reviewed:March 14, 2026
  • Verified on: Windows

References

Official docs

  1. OpenClaw docs: /install/installer
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