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Guide

Install COIN on Windows

Download it, check it, unzip it, open it. It takes about five minutes, and there's no installer to click through.

  1. Download the Windows release

    On the Download page, press Download for Windows. Make a note of the SHA-256 hash published with the release.

  2. Check the file

    Open the Start menu, type cmd and press Enter. Go to your Downloads folder and ask Windows for the file's hash:

    C:\> cd %USERPROFILE%\Downloads
    C:\> certutil -hashfile FILE SHA256

    Replace FILE with the name of the file you downloaded. Compare the long string it prints with the published hash. They must match exactly. If they don't, delete the file and download it again.

  3. Unzip it

    Right-click the file and choose Extract All. Pick a folder you'll find again, such as Documents. Keep all the files together: the wallet starts the node that comes with it.

  4. Open the COIN Wallet

    Double-click the COIN Wallet in the folder you just made. The first time, Windows may show one or two messages:

    • Windows protected your PC. SmartScreen shows this for programs it hasn't seen often. If the hash matched in step 2, press More info, then Run anyway.
    • Windows Defender Firewall. Your node asks to talk to the network. Allow it on private networks, so other nodes can reach yours.

  5. Create your wallet

    The wallet walks you through it in a few screens. Follow the setup guide alongside.

If your antivirus complains

Some antivirus programs flag any software that can mine, including the miner built into the COIN Wallet. If yours quarantines a file, check the download's hash again. If it matches the published one, you can restore the file and add the COIN folder to your antivirus exceptions.

Updating

Download the new release, check its hash, unzip it to a new folder and open the wallet from there. Your wallet files and your copy of the blockchain are kept separately, so they carry over.

Advanced: the node and command-line wallet on Windows

The same folder holds coind, the node on its own, and the command-line wallet. To run them, open a Command Prompt in that folder and start the node first:

C:\COIN> coind

Leave it running, then start the command-line wallet in a second Command Prompt. PowerShell users can check a download's hash with Get-FileHash FILE.