Windows app

Install the desktop app

Download Necter-Miner-windows-x64.msi (Windows 10 or 11, x64).

1. Open the downloaded .msi.
2. The testnet build is not code-signed yet, so Microsoft Defender SmartScreen says Windows protected your PC. Click More info, check that the file is Necter-Miner-windows-x64.msi, then click Run anyway.
3. Follow the installer. It installs Necter Miner for all users under C:\Program Files\Necter Miner and installs the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime if it is missing.
4. Start Necter Miner from the Start menu. It lives in the notification area (system tray).

To check the download by hand, compare the output of

Get-FileHash .\Necter-Miner-windows-x64.msi -Algorithm SHA256

with the SHA256SUMS file on the release page. New versions install over the old one; uninstall from Settings → Apps.

The app works like the macOS app: the same dashboard, first-run steps, tray menu, notifications and policies. Start at login adds the app to your user’s startup programs.

Note

Data lives in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Necter\Miner (device key, encrypted wallet, config, module cache, logs). The wallet’s encryption key is kept in the Windows Credential Manager.

Command-line miner

For headless machines, download necter-miner-<version>-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip from the release page, unpack it and run necter-miner.exe from PowerShell. The commands are the same as on servers:

.\necter-miner.exe init
.\necter-miner.exe join --project 0x<project_id> --payout 0x<your payout address>
.\necter-miner.exe status

Run it as a Windows service

From an elevated PowerShell (Run as administrator):

.\necter-miner.exe service install

This copies the binary to C:\Program Files\Necter\Miner, takes over the miner you set up with init (configuration, wallet and keys), and starts the Necter Miner service at boot under its own service account. The service’s data is in C:\ProgramData\Necter\Miner, readable only by administrators and the service. Manage it from an elevated prompt with that data directory:

$env:NECTER_MINER_DATA_DIR = 'C:\ProgramData\Necter\Miner'
.\necter-miner.exe status

Run service install again after updating the binary; necter-miner.exe service uninstall removes the service and keeps its data. Do not also run the miner from your own data directory: both would use the same identity.