Why Install Clash on Windows?

If you are searching for how to install Clash on Windows, you likely already have a proxy subscription and need a reliable desktop client to put it to work. Clash is an open-source rule-based proxy framework built around the Mihomo kernel (formerly Clash Meta). On Windows, it gives you intelligent traffic splitting—domestic sites go direct, overseas traffic routes through your chosen node—without manually configuring every application.

The Windows ecosystem has changed significantly since 2023. The once-popular Clash for Windows (CFW) client stopped receiving updates, leaving many users with outdated kernels that lack support for newer protocols like Hysteria2 and TUIC. The community's answer is Clash Verge Rev, a modern GUI client that wraps Mihomo with a clean interface, one-click subscription import, latency testing, TUN mode, and rule overrides. For most Windows users in 2025, Verge Rev is the recommended starting point.

This guide walks you through the entire Windows setup from scratch: checking system requirements, downloading the right installer, completing installation, importing your subscription, turning on the proxy, and optionally enabling TUN mode for games and desktop apps. Whether you are migrating from CFW or setting up Clash for the first time, you should have a working connection within about ten minutes.

System Requirements & Choosing a Client

Before downloading anything, confirm your PC meets the minimum requirements. Clash Verge Rev runs on Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) and Windows 11, both 64-bit. You need at least 4 GB of RAM and roughly 200 MB of free disk space. An active internet connection is required for the initial download and subscription sync.

Windows on ARM (Surface Pro X, Snapdragon laptops) is a growing segment. If you are on an ARM device, look for an arm64 build on the download page. Standard Intel and AMD PCs should use the x64 installer. Running the wrong architecture will either fail to launch or perform poorly due to emulation overhead.

Clash Verge Rev vs. Legacy Clients

We recommend Clash Verge Rev because it balances ease of use with deep configurability. Beginners can import a subscription and toggle System Proxy in three clicks; power users can still edit YAML overrides, tune DNS, and inspect live connection logs. The rest of this tutorial uses Verge Rev as the reference client.

Step 1: Download Clash for Windows

Always download Clash installers from trusted official channels. Third-party repacks may bundle malware or outdated kernels. Visit our Client Download Page, locate the Windows section, and choose Clash Verge Rev for your architecture (x64 for most PCs, arm64 for ARM devices).

1. Open the official download page in your browser.
2. Under Windows clients, click the Clash Verge Rev download button matching your CPU architecture.
3. Save the .exe installer to a folder you can find easily, such as Downloads.
4. Optionally verify the file size matches what the download page lists—unexpectedly small files may indicate a failed download.

If your network blocks the download page itself, try using a mobile hotspot temporarily, or ask a friend to transfer the installer via USB. Once Clash is installed and running, future updates can be fetched from within the app or through the same download page.

Step 2: Install Clash on Windows 10 / 11

Installing Clash Verge Rev on Windows follows the standard application installer flow. The process takes about one to two minutes on a typical SSD.

1. Navigate to your Downloads folder and double-click the Clash.Verge.Rev_*.exe installer.
2. Windows User Account Control (UAC) will ask whether you want to allow the app to make changes. Click Yes—administrator permission is required for proxy and TUN features later.
3. If SmartScreen shows "Windows protected your PC," click More info, then Run anyway. This warning appears because many open-source projects cannot afford commercial code-signing certificates.
4. Follow the installation wizard: accept the license (if prompted), choose an install location (the default C:\Program Files\ path is fine), and click Install.
5. Wait for the progress bar to complete, then click Finish. Leave "Launch Clash Verge Rev" checked to open the app immediately.

Portable Installation Alternative

Some releases offer a portable .7z or .zip package that does not require installation. Extract it to any folder (e.g., D:\Apps\ClashVerge\) and run Clash Verge.exe directly. Portable mode is useful on work laptops where you lack admin rights for a full install, though TUN mode will still require elevation when enabled.

Step 3: First Launch & Firewall Permissions

On first launch, Clash Verge Rev performs several one-time setup tasks. Understanding what each prompt means prevents you from accidentally blocking the client.

1. When Windows Defender Firewall asks whether to allow Clash Verge Rev on private and public networks, check Private networks at minimum and click Allow access. Without this, the local proxy port cannot receive traffic from browsers.
2. The app window opens with a sidebar showing pages like Home, Proxies, Subscription, Connections, and Settings. A paper-plane icon appears in the system tray (bottom-right taskbar area).
3. Right-click the tray icon for quick actions: toggle System Proxy, switch between Rule/Global/Direct modes, or exit the application.
4. If the main window is blank or shows an error, ensure Microsoft Visual C++ 2015–2022 Redistributable (x64) is installed. Most Windows 10/11 systems already have it; if not, download it from Microsoft's official site.

Clash Verge Rev stores configuration files under %USERPROFILE%\.config\clash-verge\. You rarely need to touch this directory, but it is useful to know when backing up subscriptions or troubleshooting corrupt configs.

Step 4: Import Your Subscription

A subscription URL is provided by your proxy service provider (sometimes called an "airport"). It contains your node list, routing rules, and policy groups in Clash-compatible YAML format. Importing this link is the most important step after installation.

Import via URL (Recommended)

1. In Clash Verge Rev, click Subscription (Profiles) in the left sidebar.
2. Click the New button at the top-right and select URL.
3. Paste your full subscription link into the URL field. Make sure there are no leading or trailing spaces.
4. Give the profile a recognizable name, such as "Main Provider" or "Backup Nodes."
5. Click Import and wait for the download and parsing to finish. A success message confirms the config loaded.
6. Click the profile card in the list to activate it—the active profile is highlighted or shows a checkmark.

Import via Local YAML File

If your provider gives you a .yaml file instead of a URL, choose Local File during import, or drag the file into the config directory and refresh. Local imports are ideal for self-hosted setups or offline backups.

Step 5: Enable System Proxy & Select a Node

With an active subscription loaded, you are ready to start routing traffic. Clash Verge Rev offers three outbound modes, accessible from the Home page or the tray menu.

• Rule — Traffic is matched against your config's rules list. Domestic IPs and domains go direct; overseas traffic uses the proxy. This is the recommended daily mode.
• Global — All traffic exits through the proxy. Useful for troubleshooting or accessing sites not covered by rule lists.
• Direct — Equivalent to disabling the proxy entirely. Handy for speed comparisons or temporary bypass.

To start proxying browser traffic, follow these steps:

1. Confirm the outbound mode is set to Rule.
2. Toggle System Proxy to ON on the Home page (or via the tray icon).
3. Switch to the Proxies page. You will see policy groups such as "Auto Select," "Manual Select," or "Proxy."
4. Click a group and choose a node with low latency, or let an url-test group pick the fastest node automatically.
5. Open a browser and visit a test site. Check the Connections page in Clash to confirm traffic is flowing through the proxy chain.

Step 6: Enable TUN Mode on Windows (Optional)

System Proxy only affects applications that respect Windows proxy settings—primarily browsers and some desktop apps. Games, command-line tools, and certain messaging clients open direct socket connections that bypass the system proxy. TUN Mode solves this by creating a virtual network adapter that intercepts traffic at the IP layer, allowing Mihomo to route everything according to your rules.

1. Go to Settings in the left sidebar and locate the TUN Mode toggle.
2. Switch TUN Mode ON. Windows will prompt for administrator permission—click Yes.
3. Optionally adjust the TUN Stack (gVisor vs. System) and Strict Route settings. Defaults work for most users.
4. Verify TUN is active: the tray icon may change appearance, and the Connections page shows tun0 entries.

TUN mode is especially valuable for Steam downloads, Discord voice (UDP), and online games that do not support HTTP proxies. If you only need browser access, System Proxy alone is sufficient and does not require admin elevation on every launch.

Step 7: Auto-Start & Tray Settings

Once everything works, configure Clash to start automatically so you do not have to repeat the setup every time you boot your PC.

• In Settings, enable Launch at Startup so Clash Verge Rev opens when Windows starts.
• Enable Silent Start if you prefer the app to run in the tray without opening the main window.
• Optionally set Auto Enable System Proxy on launch, so the proxy activates as soon as the client starts.
• Pin the tray icon so it stays visible even when Windows collapses overflow icons.

For laptops on battery, consider leaving auto-start disabled and toggling the proxy manually when needed. Mihomo consumes minimal resources in idle state, but TUN mode adds a small overhead that may affect battery life on long sessions.

FAQs & Troubleshooting

SmartScreen or Antivirus Blocks the Installer

This is the most common hurdle for new Windows users. Click More info → Run anyway on the SmartScreen dialog. If your antivirus deleted the file, restore it from quarantine and add an exclusion. Always re-download from the official page if you are unsure about file integrity.

Subscription Import Fails with HTTP Error

Verify the URL is complete and has no extra spaces. Open the link in an incognito browser window—it should download a YAML file. Some providers restrict access by IP or require a specific User-Agent header; contact your provider for a fresh link. Corporate or school networks may block subscription domains; test with a mobile hotspot to isolate the issue.

All Nodes Show Timeout

Run a speed test on your policy groups. If every node times out, your subscription may have expired or run out of bandwidth. Also check that your system clock is accurate—large time drift causes TLS handshake failures. Ensure the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (x64) is installed if the client crashes on launch.

System Proxy On but Websites Won't Load

Confirm outbound mode is Rule, not Direct. Switch temporarily to Global mode—if Global works but Rule does not, the target domain is missing from your rule list. Add it via a Merge/Override snippet or contact your provider. For deeper routing concepts, see our rule-based routing guide.

No Internet After Enabling TUN Mode

Check that your MATCH fallback rule points to a working group, not a dead node. Ensure LAN CIDR ranges are set to DIRECT. If you run Hyper-V, Docker Desktop, or another VPN simultaneously, disable them and restart TUN—virtual network interface conflicts are a frequent cause.

How Is Clash Verge Rev Different from Clash for Windows?

CFW was built on the original Clash core, which is no longer maintained. Verge Rev uses the Mihomo kernel with ongoing protocol support (VLESS, Hysteria2, TUIC, etc.), a redesigned UI, and active bug fixes. Migrating is straightforward: export your subscription URL from CFW (or get a fresh link from your provider) and import it into Verge Rev following Step 4 above.

Compared to single-purpose commercial "VPN accelerators" that offer a black-box experience with no visibility into routing logic, or abandoned clients like Clash for Windows that leave you on outdated protocols, Clash Verge Rev with the Mihomo kernel gives you full transparency. You can inspect every rule, test node latency in real time, and customize behavior through YAML overrides—all while receiving regular community updates. If you want a streamlined path without deep tweaking, the installers on our download page ship with beginner-friendly defaults that work out of the box.

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