Windows PC

WSL2 vs Docker Desktop

WSL2 + Docker (Recommended): Lighter weight, better performance, integrates well with Windows. Uses ~500MB RAM overhead.
Docker Desktop: Easier GUI management, but uses more resources (~2GB RAM) and requires a paid license for commercial use in larger organizations.

Always-On Considerations

If you want 24/7 availability, configure Windows to: disable sleep mode, enable auto-login after restart, and use our startup script. Consider power costs - a gaming PC uses 100-300W, which adds up over time.

Windows Update Management

Windows updates can restart your PC unexpectedly. Configure active hours in Windows Update settings, or use Windows 11 Pro's group policy to control update behavior. The startup script ensures OpenClaw restarts automatically after reboots.

Memory Requirements

8GB total RAM is the minimum - Windows uses 3-4GB, WSL2 uses 1-2GB, leaving 2-3GB for OpenClaw. 16GB is recommended for comfortable operation alongside other apps. You can limit WSL2's memory usage in .wslconfig if needed.

Virtualization

WSL2 requires hardware virtualization (VT-x/AMD-V). Most modern PCs have this, but it may be disabled in BIOS. If you see "virtualization not enabled" errors, restart into BIOS and enable it.

Step 1: Install WSL2

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

wsl --install

Restart your computer when prompted. This installs Ubuntu by default.

Step 2: Set up Ubuntu

After restart, open Ubuntu from Start menu. Create a username and password when prompted.

Step 3: Install Docker in WSL2

In the Ubuntu terminal:

# Update packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

# Add your user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Start Docker service
sudo service docker start

# Log out and back in (or run: newgrp docker)

Step 4: Create OpenClaw directory

mkdir -p ~/openclaw && cd ~/openclaw

Step 5: Create docker-compose.yml

cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
version: '3.8'
services:
  openclaw:
    image: openclaw/openclaw:latest
    container_name: openclaw
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}
      - GATEWAY_TOKEN=${GATEWAY_TOKEN}
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
EOF

Step 6: Create .env file

cat > .env << 'EOF'
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-your-key-here
GATEWAY_TOKEN=$(openssl rand -hex 32)
EOF

Replace sk-or-your-key-here with your actual BYOK provider API key.

Step 7: Start OpenClaw

docker compose up -d

Access OpenClaw at http://localhost:8080 from Windows.

Step 1: Download Docker Desktop

Download and install Docker Desktop for Windows:

Step 2: Enable WSL2 backend

During installation, select "Use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V" when prompted.

Step 3: Create project folder

Open PowerShell or Command Prompt:

mkdir C:\openclaw
cd C:\openclaw

Step 4: Create docker-compose.yml

Create a file named docker-compose.yml with this content:

version: '3.8'
services:
  openclaw:
    image: openclaw/openclaw:latest
    container_name: openclaw
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key-here
      - GATEWAY_TOKEN=your-token-here
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data

Step 5: Start OpenClaw

docker compose up -d