Support

Windows Installation Guide

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Quick install guide

  • After download completes double-click the installer icon
  • We recommend using the default settings
  • It is safe to overwrite an earlier version if prompted
  • Any existing wallet files and configuration will not be affected
  • If you are new to Bitcoin you should watch the video so you know what to expect.

We recommend SpiderOak as a privacy-conscious cloud backup provider. The first 2Gb are free.

We have a Getting Started guide so you can be up and running with Bitcoin quickly and safely.

There are more tutorials on our YouTube channel MultiBitOrg.

How to install on Windows

Please note that for security reasons we do not support Windows XP and below.

Running Windows 7 and higher?

This is the default "64-bit" installer and is suitable for Windows 7 (and some editions of Vista) and higher.

Double click the installer - it is signed by KeepKey, LLC. Work through the installer - accepting the defaults is normally the easiest.

If you have a firewall set up when you first open MultiBit you will be asked by Windows if you want MultiBit to communicate over your internet connection. MultiBit needs to communicate with the Bitcoin network and the multibit.org server so permit this access.

Running Windows Vista?

We don't support Windows Vista. You should consider upgrading to take advantage of the latest security fixes.

The installation process is the same as for the 64-bit version.

Running Windows XP?

We don't support Windows XP. It has too many security issues to be viable for Bitcoin software outside of a highly controlled environment.

Troubleshooting

Occasionally people encounter problems getting MultiBit set up on their Windows machine. Here are some common solutions to known problems.

I don't have much system memory

MultiBit uses the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) to manage its memory. This means that over time you will see memory use increase as various activities take place. Synchronizing with the block chain is a memory-intensive process and during the initial sync or a Repair Wallet operation you will notice an increase. By default MultiBit will not consume more than the lesser of one quarter of your system memory or 1Gb. For example, on a 2Gb system (2009 mid-range machine) MultiBit will start having memory constraints at around 500Mb.

This default is sufficient to allow for smooth and responsive operations on most systems. However, MultiBit can continue to work with only 256Mb allocated to it although performance tends to reduce.

If you want to change the memory allocated to MultiBit you will need to do the following:

  1. After installation, locate the MultiBit shortcut
  2. Right click and select "Properties"
  3. Edit the Target line by adding -J-Xmx1024m including a space after the final " to set a 1Gb limit (e.g.Target: "C:\Program Files\MultiBit HD\multibit-hd.exe" -J-Xmx1024m
  4. Save the changes and use the shortcut as normal to start MultiBit

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