# Installing on Windows

There are two ways to install, build and use Proxmark3 on Windows:

* Using Gator96100 **ProxSpace**, a package to assist in your Windows installation of MinGW
* Using native **WSL**, if you're running a Windows 10 version recent enough (FCU 1709 or later)

---

# Installing on Windows with ProxSpace

## Video Installation guide
[![Windows Installation tutorial](https://github.com/5w0rdfish/Proxmark3-RDV4-ParrotOS/blob/master/screenshot-www.youtube.com-2019.03.17-20-44-33.png)](https://youtu.be/zzF0NCMJnYU "Windows Installation Tutorial")

## Driver Installation

Install required drivers for your Windows installation. You may need admin privileges to do this.  
Step by step guides are online such as [RiscCorps](https://store.ryscc.com/blogs/news/how-to-install-a-proxmark3-driver-on-windows-10).

## Download / clone ProxSpace repo

Download the Gator96100 ProxSpace package from https://github.com/Gator96100/ProxSpace/releases

If you prefer, you can clone it, provided that you installed Github for Windows https://desktop.github.com/.

Extract 'ProxSpace' to a location path without spaces.  
For example D:\OneDrive\Documents\GitHub is ok whereas C:\My Documents\My Projects\proxspace is not.

If you're running Windows in a Virtualbox guest, make sure not to install ProxSpace on a vbox shared drive. (It's ok later to move the `/pm3` subfolder to a shared drive and edit the `*.bat`)

## Launch ProxSpace

Run `runme.bat` or `runme64.bat` depending on your Windows architecture.

You'll get a Bash prompt and your home directory should become the ProxSpace `pm3` sub-directory.

Please note you will need to use `/` in paths as you are using Bash.

## Clone the RRG/Iceman repository

```sh
cd
git clone https://github.com/RfidResearchGroup/proxmark3.git
cd proxmark3
```

If you're a contributing developer, you probably want to be able to use `make style`. If so, you've to install astyle:

```sh
pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-astyle
```

## Compile and use the project

To use the compiled client, the only differences are that executables end with `.exe` (e.g. `proxmark3.exe`) and that the Proxmark3 port is one of your `comX` ports where "X" is the com port number assigned to proxmark3 under Windows, so commands become:

```sh
proxmark3 /dev/ttyACM0  =>  proxmark3.exe comX
```

Now you're ready to follow the [compilation instructions](/doc/md/Use_of_Proxmark/0_Compilation-Instructions.md).

# Installing on Windows with WSL

It requires to run a Windows 10 version 1709 or above. Previous versions didn't have support for COM ports.

Install WSL with e.g. the standard Ubuntu.

For WSL configuration, see [Manage and configure Windows Subsystem for Linux](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/wsl-config).

Make sure your WSL can launch Windows processes to get the `pm3` scripts working (cf `interop` in the WSL settings).

## X Server Installation

If you want to run the graphical components of the Proxmark3 client, you need to install a X Server such as [VcXsrv](https://sourceforge.net/projects/vcxsrv/) or [Xming](https://sourceforge.net/projects/xming/) and launch it, e.g. by executing XLaunch.

## Dependencies

Enter WSL prompt (`wsl`) and from there, follow the [Linux Installation Instructions](/doc/md/Installation_Instructions/Linux-Installation-Instructions.md) for Ubuntu, summarized here below:

```sh
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends git ca-certificates build-essential pkg-config \
libreadline-dev gcc-arm-none-eabi libnewlib-dev qtbase5-dev
```

If you don't need the graphical components of the Proxmark3 client, you can skip the installation of `qtbase5-dev`.

## Clone the RRG/Iceman repository

```sh
git clone https://github.com/RfidResearchGroup/proxmark3.git
```

## Compile and use the project

To use the compiled client, the only difference is that the Proxmark3 port is translated from your `comX` port where "X" is the com port number assigned to proxmark3 under Windows, to a `/dev/ttySX`, so commands become:

```sh
proxmark3 /dev/ttyACM0  =>  proxmark3 /dev/ttySX
```

Depending on the Windows version, you might need to give permission to the current user to access `/dev/ttySX`: (change X to your port number)

```sh
ls -al /dev/ttySX
groups|grep dialout
```

If group ownership is `dialout` and your user is member of `dialout` group, all is fine. Else you'll have to provide access to `/dev/ttySX`: (Unfortunately the access rights of the port won't survive and will have to be fixed again next time.)

```sh
sudo chmod 666 /dev/ttySX
```

If you installed a X Server and compiled the Proxmark3 with QT4 support, you've to export the `DISPLAY` environment variable:

```sh
export DISPLAY=:0
```

and add it to your Bash profile for the next times:

```sh
echo "export DISPLAY=:0" >> ~/.bashrc
```

Note that it may take a quite long time for a freshly plugged Proxmark3 to be visible on a WSL /dev/ttySX port.

Now you're ready to follow the [compilation instructions](/doc/md/Use_of_Proxmark/0_Compilation-Instructions.md).

## Color text on windows 10
In later versions of windows 10 you may be able to get color to work by setting this registery key
```
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Console]
    "VirtualTerminalLevel"=dword:00000001
```
If after setting this key (and restarting proxmark3.exe) you get extra characters and no color text, either delete the key or set the value to 0
