Tired of cloud-based AI and the privacy concerns that come with it? Want to run DeepSeek R1 directly on your machine, completely offline? Good news—you can. Whether you’re a casual user looking for an easy setup or a tech-savvy pro who prefers command-line execution, there’s a way to get DeepSeek running locally. This guide will walk you through what you need, where to get it, and exactly how to install and run DeepSeek R1 on your Windows machine. By the end of this, you’ll have full control over your AI assistant—no internet required.
Minimum System Requirements & Pre-Check
Before you dive in, let’s talk about what your machine needs to handle this. At a bare minimum, you’ll need a Windows PC with:
- A 64-bit processor (ARM64 or x86-64)
- At least 8GB of RAM (16GB+ recommended for better performance)
- A dedicated GPU (optional, but speeds things up)
- Enough storage space (models range from a few GBs to tens of GBs)
To check your system details:
- Click the Start button.
- Type MSINFO32 and press Enter.
- Look for System Type to confirm if you need the ARM64 version or the standard x86-64 version.
Got the right setup? Let’s move on.
Installing DeepSeek R1 Locally (Step-by-Step)
Option 1: Using LM Studio (Recommended for Non-Tech Users)
- Download LM Studio from its official site.
- Choose the correct version based on your system type (ARM64 or x86-64).
- Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts.
- During installation, check the “Run LM Studio” option before finishing.
- Once open, click on the search icon in the left sidebar.
- In the search box, type DeepSeek and pick a model:
- Llama 8B (recommended for general use)
- Qwen 7B (for multilingual needs)
- Click Download, wait for it to complete, and then select the model.
- Start chatting! For offline use, disconnect from WiFi and test it out.
Option 2: Using Ollama (For CLI/Advanced Users)
- Download Ollama from its official site.
- Run the installer and follow the basic setup steps.
- After installation, open Command Prompt (Win + R, type
cmd, press Enter). - Type the following command to download and run DeepSeek R1:
ollama run deepseek-r1-llama - Wait for the model to download (this may take a few minutes).
- Once downloaded, type your query directly in the terminal and hit Enter.
At this point, DeepSeek R1 should be up and running, ready to process your inputs—all without needing an internet connection.
That’s it!
You now have DeepSeek R1 running on your machine, fully offline, with total control over your AI. No cloud nonsense, no privacy headaches—just you and your locally running model. If something didn’t work quite right, double-check your system specs or try a different model. Otherwise, start experimenting, tweaking, and pushing your setup further. And hey—if you’ve got any thoughts, feedback, or cool use cases, drop them in the comments. Happy coding!
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