# Installing the Windows wallet

The Windows build is a **native x86_64 (AMD64) build**, compiled on Windows in
CI with MSVC (Visual Studio 2022) and Qt 6.7.3, and packaged with Inno Setup 6.
It is **self-contained**: the installer carries its own Python runtime, so you do
**not** need Python installed, and it is **unsigned**, so SmartScreen warns once
on first launch.

- Build: v0.2.8 · Windows 10/11 · x86_64
- Built from `wallet-qt/` by `.github/workflows/wallet-qt-windows-x64.yml`

## Downloads

| Filename | Size | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| [`animicawallersetup.exe`](https://animica.org/wallet/animicawallersetup.exe) | 192 MB | Installer — Start Menu shortcut + uninstaller |
| [`animica-wallet-windows-x64.zip`](https://animica.org/wallet/animica-wallet-windows-x64.zip) | 292 MB | Portable — extract anywhere, run `animica-wallet.exe` |

Verify before installing:

```powershell
Get-FileHash .\animicawallersetup.exe -Algorithm SHA256
# expected: 16c2685dc51916b5a438e3dab6a4ccaaaf20e4d4db4befb48d04f82f8011296b
```

## First-launch SmartScreen warning

> Windows protected your PC — Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an
> unrecognized app from starting.

Click **More info** → **Run anyway**. Approving once is enough.

If Defender quarantines the `.exe`: Windows Security → Virus & threat protection
→ Protection history → find the entry → **Actions → Allow on device**, then
re-download and re-verify the SHA-256.

## "Python was not found…" — fixed in v0.2.8

Older cross-built installers shipped **without** a Python runtime. On a PC with
no Python, the wallet fell back to `PATH` and hit Windows' Microsoft Store app
execution alias (`%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WindowsApps\python.exe`) — a
zero-byte stub that prints

> Python was not found; run without arguments to install from the Microsoft
> Store, or disable this shortcut from Settings > Apps > Advanced app settings >
> App execution aliases.

The wallet received that sentence where it expected a JSON reply and reported
*"the Animica wallet backend returned an invalid response."*

This build ships its own interpreter at `node\venv\python.exe` and additionally
refuses to use the Store alias. **If you saw that error, uninstall the old
version and install this one.** No Python installation is required.

## What's inside

- `animica-wallet.exe` — the Qt 6.7 GUI (MSVC x64)
- `Qt6Core/Gui/Widgets/Network/Sql/Svg.dll` + `plugins\` — bundled Qt
- `libcrypto-3-x64.dll`, `libssl-3-x64.dll` — OpenSSL 3 for TLS
- `node\venv\` — a self-contained CPython 3.12 with the `animica` package
  (the wallet's key handling, address derivation and RPC bridge run here)

The installer needs admin rights (installs to Program Files) and adds no
registry state beyond the uninstall key.

## Why isn't it signed?

Authenticode signing needs a CA-issued certificate ($100–300/year). Until the
project has one, Windows binaries ship unsigned and require the SmartScreen
"Run anyway" click-through — which is why every download publishes a SHA-256.