Want private, high speed AI on your own rig instead of the cloud? Ollama makes local models simple on Windows 11. Here is a clean, compact guide that gets you from zero to your first response in minutes, plus tips for performance and a few friendly tools.
Why pick Ollama
Runs a wide range of open models locally
Works on Windows 11, macOS, Linux and WSL
Lightweight service with a local API on localhost:11434
CLI and a basic GUI, plus plug in UIs like OpenWebUI or Page Assist
Minimum specs and expectations
8 GB RAM or more recommended
Dedicated GPU helps a lot, but CPU only is possible with small models
Bigger models need more VRAM and system memory
On laptops or older PCs, start with small sizes like 1B to 4B or quantized builds
Install steps on Windows 11
Download and install Get the Windows installer from the official Ollama website. Run it and follow the prompts.
Launch the service After install, Ollama runs in the background. You will see a tray icon. Check it is alive by visiting http://localhost:11434 in your browser.
Open a terminal Use PowerShell or Windows Terminal. The CLI is where Ollama shines.
Your first model
# pull a model
ollama pull llama3:instruct
# chat with it
ollama run llama3:instruct
Helpful alternatives: mistral, phi3, qwen2, or smaller sizes like llama3:8b-instruct. If your PC struggles, try a quantized tag such as :Q4 when available.
Use the local API
Apps can call Ollama over HTTP. Quick check with curl:
curl http://localhost:11434/api/generate `
-H "Content-Type: application/json" `
-d "{ \"model\": \"llama3:instruct\", \"prompt\": \"Explain DLSS in one sentence.\" }"
This is great for hooking the model into dev tools, chat front ends, or automations.
Simple GUI options
Ollama app shows a basic interface and manages the background service
OpenWebUI offers a full chat web app on top of your local models
Page Assist runs from your browser and talks to Ollama behind the scenes
Performance tips
Close VRAM heavy apps before loading a large model
Prefer smaller or quantized models for laptops
Update GPU drivers and keep your motherboard BIOS current
If you get errors when loading on GPU, force CPU testing with setx OLLAMA_NUM_GPU 0 Restart the service, confirm it runs, then step back up to a modest GPU model
Troubleshooting checklist
Service not reachable
Start it manually: ollama serve
Reboot after install if the tray icon does not appear
Model too slow or failing to load
Try a smaller size or quantized variant
Reduce other GPU workloads and ensure sufficient free disk space
Want Linux tools on Windows
Install WSL and run Ollama inside your distro for a Linux style environment
