# Install on Windows

> Install the Termivoa pterm beta on Windows 11 x64 with PowerShell and the GitHub CLI, then start it at every sign-in with two Scheduled Tasks.

Termivoa installs on Windows 11 (x64) as one file, `pterm.exe`, that you download with the GitHub CLI and set up with `pterm setup`.

:::caution
Private beta. Windows support is written but not yet tested on real hardware.
:::

## Requirements

- Windows 11 on x64.
- [Tailscale](https://tailscale.com/download) on the computer and the phone, signed in to the same account.
- The [GitHub CLI](https://cli.github.com/) (`gh`), signed in with `gh auth login`. You need an invite to the private repository.

No administrator rights are needed.

## Install

In PowerShell, make a folder, download the beta and run setup:

```powershell
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\Termivoa" | Out-Null
cd "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\Termivoa"
gh release download v0.1.0-beta.3 -R intojhanurag/Termivoa -p pterm-windows-amd64.exe -O pterm.exe
.\pterm.exe setup
```

Then follow [Pair your phone](/docs/pair-your-phone/).

`pterm` is not on your PATH. Where these docs say `pterm`, go to this folder and type `.\pterm.exe`, for example `.\pterm.exe doctor`.

## Why use `gh` and this folder?

- The binary is not signed. A browser download gets a "downloaded from the internet" mark that makes SmartScreen warn; a `gh` download does not.
- Do not put `pterm.exe` on the Desktop, in Documents or in a Temp folder. OneDrive may move those folders, and setup refuses Temp. The startup tasks run this exact path.

## How does it start when you sign in?

`pterm setup` adds two Scheduled Tasks (Windows entries that start a program at sign-in) for your account only:

- `Phone Terminal Broker (<user>)`: the broker, which owns your sessions.
- `Phone Terminal Gateway (<user>)`: the gateway, which serves the phone page on this computer only (`127.0.0.1:8787`). It starts 10 seconds after the broker.

Both run as you, at normal priority, never as an administrator. Task Scheduler restarts them if they fail.
"Phone Terminal" is the old working name, kept so existing installs keep working.

## Where does pterm put its files?

| What | Where |
| --- | --- |
| Program | `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Termivoa\pterm.exe` |
| Data | `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Phone Terminal` |
| Logs | `%LOCALAPPDATA%\Phone Terminal\logs\` (`broker.log`, `gateway.log`) |

## Start WSL bash sessions

With a WSL distro installed, Termivoa offers a **WSL bash** shell next to PowerShell, which opens in the project folder.

## Keep the computer awake

A sleeping computer cannot answer the phone. Check **Settings → System → Power**.