Installing Ollama

Written by Jakub Rusinowski · Last updated July 10, 2026

Ollama is the easiest tool to get started with local LLMs. It packages the model weights, configuration, and a runtime engine into a single binary.

In This Guide

1. Download & Install
2. Running Your First Model
3. Useful Commands
4. Troubleshooting
5. Next Steps

Ollama is the easiest tool to get started with local LLMs. It packages the model weights, configuration, and a runtime engine into a single binary.

1. Download & Install

Windows

1. Download Ollama for Windows. 2. Run the .exe installer. 3. Once installed, Ollama runs in the background (check your system tray).

macOS

1. Download Ollama for macOS. 2. Unzip the file and move Ollama to your Applications folder. 3. Open the application. You might need to approve it in 'Security & Privacy' settings if prompted.

Linux

Run the following command in your terminal:

curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

2. Running Your First Model

Ollama works from the command line (Terminal on Mac/Linux, PowerShell/CMD on Windows).

To download and run the popular Llama 3.1 8B model, simply type:

ollama run llama3.1

Ollama will: 1. Pull the model manifest. 2. Download the model layers (approx 4.7 GB). 3. Verify the hash. 4. Drop you into a chat prompt >>>.

You can now chat! Type 'Why is the sky blue?' and hit Enter.

3. Useful Commands

Command	Description
`ollama list`	Show all models installed on your machine.
`ollama pull [model]`	Download a model but don't run it immediately.
`ollama rm [model]`	Remove a model to free up disk space.
`ollama serve`	Start the Ollama background service manually.

4. Troubleshooting

Error: could not connect to ollama app: Ensure the Ollama app is running in your system tray (Windows/Mac) or the service is active (Linux: sudo systemctl start ollama).
Slow performance: Check if your model fits in your VRAM. If it's spilling into system RAM, it will be very slow.

5. Next Steps

Now that you have Ollama running, check out the Model Library to find models to download.

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