In this tutorial, we will delve into how to install n8n locally and run it in the simplest, most beginner-friendly way. Whether you’re a developer, data scientist, or automation enthusiast, this guide will get you started in minutes.
Install Docker Desktop (Windows)
Before running n8n locally, you need Docker Desktop installed on your machine.
Download it here: https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/
After installing Docker Desktop:
Open it and make sure it’s running.
Enable WSL 2 if prompted (Windows Subsystem for Linux).
Open Docker Desktop Terminal or PowerShell — we’ll use it to pull and run n8n
Pull the n8n Docker Image
This downloads the official n8n image from Docker Hub.
Create a Volume for Persistent Data
To save your workflows and credentials between restarts, create a Docker volume:
Run n8n with Your Local Timezone
pick your timezone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones#List
Check the TZ database time zones list and remember the exact string (like Africa/Tunis) — we’ll use it in the next step.
Tip: PowerShell uses ^ as the line continuation character. On one line, you can remove the ^ entirely.
Once it starts, open your browser:
http://localhost:5678
— you should see the n8n editor dashboard!
