Running Jitsi Meet on Windows

caution

Windows is not natively supported for Jitsi Meet development or deployment. The methods described below rely on running a Linux environment on your Windows machine.

This guide describes ways to build and run Jitsi Meet on a Windows machine. All approaches work by providing a Linux environment where the standard Linux-based instructions apply.

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) or Windows 11
• Hardware virtualization enabled in BIOS/UEFI
• At least 8 GB of RAM (16 GB recommended)
• A stable internet connection for cloning repositories and installing dependencies

Method 1: WSL2 (Recommended)

Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) runs a real Linux kernel on Windows and provides the closest experience to native Linux development. It has near-native performance, low resource overhead, and integrates well with Windows-based editors such as VS Code.

Install WSL2

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

wsl --install

This installs WSL2 with Ubuntu as the default distribution. Restart your computer when prompted.

After restarting, open Ubuntu from the Start menu. On first launch you will be asked to create a Linux username and password. Complete the setup, then update the system packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install nvm

nvm (Node Version Manager) lets you install and switch between multiple versions of Node.js. The Jitsi Meet repository includes an .nvmrc file that specifies the exact Node.js version the project requires. When you run nvm install or nvm use inside the project directory, nvm reads this file and automatically installs or switches to the correct version. This means you do not need to look up which version to install and the setup stays correct even when the project updates its Node.js requirement.

Install nvm by running:

# Install nvm
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash

# Reload your shell profile so the nvm command becomes available
source ~/.bashrc

Install build tools

Some dependencies require native compilation:

sudo apt install -y build-essential git

Clone and build Jitsi Meet

tip

Always clone the repository inside the Linux filesystem (your home directory ~/) rather than under /mnt/c/. The /mnt/c/ path mounts your Windows C:\ drive and cross-filesystem operations are significantly slower, which causes long build times and unreliable file watching.

# Navigate to your Linux home directory
cd

# Clone the Jitsi Meet repository
git clone https://github.com/jitsi/jitsi-meet
cd jitsi-meet

# Install the Node.js version specified in the .nvmrc file
nvm install

# Switch to that version (nvm install usually does this automatically,
# but running nvm use ensures the correct version is active)
nvm use

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start the development server
make dev

The development server will start at https://localhost:8080/. Open this URL in your Windows browser (Chrome, Edge, etc.). WSL2 automatically forwards localhost to Windows. You can also use http://localhost:8080/ which avoids the certificate warning below.

note

If you access the development server over https://, your browser will show a certificate error because the server uses a self-signed certificate. It is safe to accept the warning and proceed. Alternatively, use http://localhost:8080/ to avoid the warning entirely.

For the full list of build commands and configuration options, see the Jitsi Meet web development guide.

Method 2: Docker Desktop

If your goal is to self-host a Jitsi Meet instance rather than develop the web application, Docker Desktop is a convenient option. It runs Linux containers on Windows using the WSL2 backend.

Install Docker Desktop

1. Download Docker Desktop for Windows and run the installer.
2. During installation, ensure "Use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V" is selected.
3. After installation, launch Docker Desktop and wait for the engine to start.

Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and verify:

docker --version
docker compose version

Both commands should print version information without errors.

Download the Jitsi Docker setup

Open PowerShell and download the latest release:

# Download the latest stable release
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $(
    (Invoke-RestMethod -Uri https://api.github.com/repos/jitsi/docker-jitsi-meet/releases/latest).assets |
    Where-Object { $_.name -like '*.zip' } |
    Select-Object -First 1 -ExpandProperty browser_download_url
) -OutFile jitsi-docker.zip

# Extract the archive
Expand-Archive -Path jitsi-docker.zip -DestinationPath jitsi-docker
cd jitsi-docker\*

Configure and start the containers

# Copy the example environment file
copy env.example .env

# Generate strong passwords (run this from a WSL2 or Git Bash terminal)
bash ./gen-passwords.sh

# Create required configuration directories
mkdir -p ~/.jitsi-meet-cfg/{web,transcripts,prosody/config,prosody/prosody-plugins-custom,jicofo,jvb,jigasi,jibri}

# Start the containers
docker compose up -d

Access the Jitsi Meet instance at https://localhost:8443.

note

The Docker-based setup is designed for deployment and testing, not for active development of the Jitsi Meet web application source code. For development, use WSL2 (Method 1) or a Linux VM (Method 3).

For the full Docker deployment guide including TLS, authentication, and recording configuration, see the Self-Hosting Guide: Docker.

Method 3: Linux Virtual Machine

Running a full Linux virtual machine provides complete isolation and the broadest compatibility. This approach works exactly like developing on a native Linux machine.

Install a hypervisor

Download and install one of the following:

• VirtualBox (free, open source)
• VMware Workstation Player (free for personal use)

Create a virtual machine

1. Download an Ubuntu LTS ISO (22.04 or newer recommended).

2. Create a new virtual machine with the following recommended settings:

   Setting	Recommended Value
   RAM	4 GB minimum, 8 GB preferred
   CPU Cores	2 minimum, 4 preferred
   Disk Space	30 GB minimum
   Network	NAT or Bridged Adapter

3. Mount the Ubuntu ISO and complete the installation.

Install dependencies and build

After Ubuntu is installed and running, open a terminal and follow the same steps described in Method 1: WSL2 starting from Install nvm. The setup is identical since the VM runs a full Linux environment.

Once dependencies are installed, follow the Jitsi Meet web development guide to clone and build the project.

The development server will be available at https://localhost:8080/ inside the VM's browser.

tip

If you want to access the development server from your Windows browser, configure the VM's network as Bridged Adapter and use the VM's IP address instead of localhost. You can find the IP by running ip addr show inside the VM.

For the full list of build commands and configuration options, see the Jitsi Meet web development guide.

Tips and Caveats

Filesystem performance (WSL2). The location of your project files matters significantly. Working inside the Linux filesystem (~/jitsi-meet) gives native Linux I/O speed, while working under the mounted Windows filesystem (/mnt/c/Users/.../jitsi-meet) adds cross-OS translation overhead and is much slower. Always use the Linux filesystem for builds and file watching.

Networking. In WSL2, localhost on Windows automatically maps to WSL2, so the development server at https://localhost:8080/ is accessible from your Windows browser. Docker Desktop containers bind to localhost by default and the web UI is at https://localhost:8443. For a virtual machine, use a Bridged Adapter network mode if you need to access the VM from Windows.

Resource usage. Both WSL2 and VMs consume system memory. By default WSL2 may use up to 50% of your system RAM. You can limit this by creating a .wslconfig file at C:\Users\<YourUsername>\.wslconfig:

[wsl2]
memory=4GB
processors=2

After saving, restart WSL2 with wsl --shutdown in PowerShell.

Official support. These workarounds are not officially supported. If you encounter issues, verify that the same problem occurs on a native Linux environment before reporting it upstream. The Jitsi Community Forum is a good place to ask for community help with Windows-specific issues.