{"id":2150,"date":"2026-07-31T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jddaddy.com\/?p=2150"},"modified":"2026-07-30T02:33:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T16:33:58","slug":"how-to-install-deepseek-on-windows-for-free-run-a-0-ai-assistant-locally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jddaddy.com\/en\/how-to-install-deepseek-on-windows-for-free-run-a-0-ai-assistant-locally\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Install DeepSeek on Windows for Free (Run a $0 AI Assistant Locally)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n AI & Tech \u2022 How-To \u2022 Money Saving<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Install DeepSeek on Windows for Free (Run a $0 AI Assistant Locally)<\/h1>\n
\ud83d\udcc5 July 2026  \u00b7  \u270d\ufe0f JD  \u00b7  \u23f1\ufe0f 7 min read<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Paid AI assistants like ChatGPT Plus run about $20\/month<\/strong> \u2014 roughly $240 a year<\/strong>. DeepSeek gives you a comparable chat assistant for free, and while it has no official Windows installer, you can put it on your desktop in under a minute or run it fully offline. Here’s exactly how to do both, and how to pick the setup that saves you the most.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udca1 The money angle:<\/strong> two legitimate, zero-cost setups can replace a paid AI subscription \u2014 one online in ~1 minute, one fully private and offline.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

What DeepSeek Is and Why It’s Worth Setting Up<\/h2>\n

DeepSeek is a free AI chat assistant \u2014 similar to ChatGPT \u2014 that can write, summarize, code, and answer questions. Its R1 reasoning model<\/strong> competes with paid tools that charge a monthly subscription, which is the money angle here: for a lot of everyday tasks, a free DeepSeek desktop setup can replace a paid AI plan and save you the annual fee entirely.<\/p>\n

There is no .exe<\/code> DeepSeek app<\/strong> for Windows. Anyone selling or “installing” one for you is repackaging something free. You have two legitimate, zero-cost paths:<\/p>\n

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\u26a1 Method 1 \u2014 PWA (online)<\/div>\n

Turns the official website into a real desktop app in about a minute. Fastest, and free forever.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\ud83d\udd12 Method 2 \u2014 Ollama (offline)<\/div>\n

Runs DeepSeek’s models locally on your own hardware \u2014 private, no account, no internet needed after download.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Both are free. Choose the PWA for speed, or Ollama if you care about privacy \u2014 a point worth taking seriously given DeepSeek’s reported exposed database of user data<\/a> in early 2025.<\/p>\n

Method 1: Install DeepSeek as a Desktop App (PWA via Edge or Chrome)<\/h2>\n

A Progressive Web App (PWA)<\/strong> wraps the DeepSeek website in its own window with a Start Menu shortcut \u2014 it looks and launches like a native app. Works on Windows 10 and 11.<\/p>\n

Using Microsoft Edge<\/h3>\n
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  1. Open Edge and go to chat.deepseek.com<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  2. Sign in (or create a free account).<\/li>\n
  3. Click the \u00b7\u00b7\u00b7<\/code><\/strong> menu (top right) \u2192 Apps<\/strong> \u2192 Install this site as an app<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  4. Name it “DeepSeek” and click Install<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  5. Windows creates a desktop and Start Menu shortcut. Done.<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n

    Using Google Chrome<\/h3>\n
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    1. Open Chrome and go to chat.deepseek.com<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    2. Click the install icon<\/strong> (a monitor with a down-arrow) on the right of the address bar. No icon? Use the \u22ee<\/code><\/strong> menu \u2192 Cast, save, and share<\/strong> \u2192 Install page as app<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    3. Confirm Install<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n
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      \u26a0\ufe0f You now have DeepSeek in its own window, pinnable to the taskbar. It still runs online through the browser engine, so your chats go to DeepSeek’s servers \u2014 fine for casual use, but not private<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

      Method 2: Run DeepSeek Locally on Windows with Ollama<\/h2>\n

      Want DeepSeek fully offline, private, and free of any subscription? Ollama<\/strong> is a free tool that downloads and runs open AI models on your own PC. Nothing leaves your machine.<\/p>\n

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      1. Download Ollama for Windows from the official Ollama site<\/a> and run the installer.<\/li>\n
      2. Open Command Prompt<\/strong> or PowerShell<\/strong> (press Win + R<\/code>, type cmd<\/code>, Enter).<\/li>\n
      3. Pull and run a DeepSeek model with one command:\n
        ollama run deepseek-r1:8b<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
      4. Ollama downloads the model (a few GB), then drops you into a chat prompt right in the terminal. Type your question and press Enter.<\/li>\n
      5. To exit, type \/bye<\/code>. To reopen later, run the same command \u2014 it won’t re-download.<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n
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        \ud83d\udda5\ufe0f Want a nicer interface than a terminal?<\/strong> Install Open WebUI<\/strong>, a free browser-based chat window for your local models. If you have Docker installed, one command gets it running, then you chat with DeepSeek at localhost:3000<\/code> \u2014 same clean look as the website, but 100% local.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

        Once it’s set up, local DeepSeek costs nothing per month<\/strong> and works with no internet \u2014 no account, no data sent anywhere.<\/p>\n

        Which Model Size Should You Download?<\/h2>\n

        DeepSeek R1 comes in several sizes. Bigger models are smarter but need more memory. Match the model to your PC so it actually runs well.<\/p>\n

        \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
        Model (Ollama tag)<\/th>\nDownload size<\/th>\nRAM \/ VRAM needed<\/th>\nBest for<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
        deepseek-r1:1.5b<\/code><\/td>\n~1.1 GB<\/td>\n8 GB RAM<\/td>\nOlder\/low-end PCs, quick tasks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        deepseek-r1:7b<\/code><\/td>\n~4.7 GB<\/td>\n8\u201316 GB RAM<\/td>\nEveryday use, most laptops<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        deepseek-r1:8b<\/code><\/td>\n~4.9 GB<\/td>\n16 GB RAM<\/td>\nBest all-round balance \u2b50<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        deepseek-r1:14b<\/code><\/td>\n~9 GB<\/td>\n16\u201324 GB RAM \/ GPU<\/td>\nStronger reasoning<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        deepseek-r1:32b<\/code><\/td>\n~20 GB<\/td>\n32 GB RAM + dedicated GPU<\/td>\nPower users, coding<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n
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        \u2705 Rule of thumb:<\/strong> with no dedicated graphics card, stick to 1.5b or 7b<\/strong> \u2014 they run on the CPU, just slower. With a modern GPU (8 GB+ VRAM), 8b or 14b<\/strong> feel snappy. The 32b model really wants a strong GPU or it will crawl. Start small; you can always pull a bigger model later.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

        Watch Out: Unofficial “Downloads” to Avoid<\/h2>\n

        Because there’s no official installer, scammy pages fill the gap. Skip these:<\/p>\n

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        • \ud83d\udeab Random GitHub “DeepSeek Windows app” wrappers.<\/strong> Most are just an Electron shell around the website \u2014 the same thing the free PWA does, but from an unknown developer who could inject anything. No upside.<\/li>\n
        • \ud83d\udeab Itch.io or software-download sites offering a “DeepSeek installer.”<\/strong> DeepSeek doesn’t distribute a Windows binary anywhere. These are repackaged files at best, malware at worst.<\/li>\n
        • \ud83d\udeab “DeepSeek Pro” paid apps.<\/strong> You never need to pay for a wrapper around a free service. That’s the whole money point of this guide \u2014 don’t hand cash to a middleman.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n

          Stick to two sources only: chat.deepseek.com<\/strong> for the PWA and ollama.com<\/strong> for the local install. Everything else is a risk.<\/p>\n

          Cheaper and Better Alternatives to Consider<\/h2>\n

          If DeepSeek isn’t a fit \u2014 or you want a backup that costs nothing \u2014 a few free options run the same way:<\/p>\n

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          • Other Ollama models.<\/strong> The same ollama run<\/code> command works with Llama 3<\/strong>, Mistral<\/strong>, and Qwen<\/strong>. If DeepSeek feels slow on your hardware, a smaller Llama model may run better for free.<\/li>\n
          • Free web assistants as PWAs.<\/strong> You can install ChatGPT’s free tier or Google Gemini as a desktop PWA using the exact Method 1 steps \u2014 a solid way to get a free AI assistant without any monthly bill.<\/li>\n
          • Browser AI for one-off tasks.<\/strong> If you only need occasional help, the plain website in a pinned tab costs nothing and skips setup entirely.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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            Between free local models and free web tiers, most people never need a paid AI subscription at all.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

            FAQ<\/h2>\n
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            Can I use DeepSeek on Windows completely offline?<\/p>\n

            Yes \u2014 with the Ollama method. After the model downloads, it runs entirely on your PC with no internet. The PWA method still needs a connection.<\/p>\n

            Is DeepSeek private if I install it locally?<\/p>\n

            Yes. Local models via Ollama send nothing to DeepSeek’s servers \u2014 everything stays on your machine. This matters because of the reported 2025 data exposure affecting the online service.<\/p>\n

            Can I run DeepSeek without a graphics card (GPU)?<\/p>\n

            Yes. The 1.5b<\/code> and 7b<\/code> models run on your CPU and normal RAM. They’re slower than on a GPU but work fine for everyday questions on a typical laptop.<\/p>\n

            Do I need an API key or a paid plan?<\/p>\n

            No. The PWA uses the free chat account, and Ollama needs no key or payment at all. An API key is only for developers building apps \u2014 not for chatting.<\/p>\n

            How is the local version different from the website?<\/p>\n

            The website always runs the newest full-size model but sends your chats to DeepSeek’s servers. The local version is private and free forever, but runs a smaller model limited by your hardware.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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            Bottom line:<\/strong> use the PWA for a one-minute free desktop app, or Ollama for a private, offline assistant \u2014 either way you get a capable AI without paying a monthly subscription.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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