How do I install and run Stable Diffusion locally on Windows?
Asked on Sep 23, 2025
Answer
To install and run Stable Diffusion locally on Windows, you'll need to set up a Python environment and download the necessary model files. This process involves several steps, including installing Python, setting up virtual environments, and using a compatible library like Diffusers or Automatic1111's web UI.
- Install Python 3.8 or later from the official Python website and ensure "Add Python to PATH" is checked during installation.
- Download and install Git for Windows from the Git website.
- Open a command prompt and clone the Stable Diffusion repository, for example, Automatic1111's web UI:
git clone https://github.com/AUTOMATIC1111/stable-diffusion-webui.git. - Navigate to the cloned directory:
cd stable-diffusion-webui. - Run the setup script to install dependencies and download model weights:
webui-user.bat. - Once setup is complete, launch the web UI by running
webui-user.batagain.
Additional Comment:
- Ensure your system meets the hardware requirements, typically a GPU with at least 4GB VRAM.
- Consider using a virtual environment to manage dependencies separately from your system Python installation.
- Stable Diffusion requires model weights, which may need to be downloaded separately due to licensing.
- For detailed instructions, refer to the repository's README file for any specific setup notes.
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