# Install AdGuard Home Cross-Platform Pi-Hole Alternative on Windows

## Installing AdGuard Home

1. Download AdGuard Home for Windows Download
2. Extract the downloaded .zip file
3. Copy the extracted AdGuardHome directory to a safe location to run from, C:\Program Files for example
4. Right click AdGuardHome.exe > Properties
5. Check the Run this program as an administrator box > Click Apply > Click OK
6. Hold the SHIFT key and right click in the white space > Open PowerShell windows here...
7. Type the following in the PowerShell window to test run AdGuard Home
   .\AdGuardHome.exe
8. Click Allow access if you receive a Windows Defender Firewall popup
9. Back in the web browser, navigate to http://DNSorIP:3000
10. Click the Get Started button
11. Set the Admin Web Interface and DNS Server network interfaces and ports > Click Next
12. Enter an admin username and password > Click Next
13. Click Next on page 4
14. Click Open Dashboard on the Congratutations page
15. Log in using the admin username and password created during the install
16. Welcome to AdGuardHome

## Install as a Windows Service

1. Click the open Command Prompt and press CTRL+C to close it
2. Type the following command in the PowerShell window to run AdGuard Home as a Windows service
   .\AdGuardHome.exe -s install
3. Close the PowerShell window

## Testing AdGuard Home DNS

1. Click the Start button > Type control panel > press Enter
2. Click View By > Small Icons
3. Click Network and Sharing Center
4. Click Change adapter settings
5. Right click on the network connection > Properties
6. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) > Properties
7. Select the radio option next to Use the following DNS server addresses
8. Input the IP address of the AdGuard Home host
9. Click OK on both of the open dialog windows
10. Right click the Start button > Command Prompt (Admin)
11. Type the following commands to flush your DNS cache and restart the network connections (note: your network connection will drop if running the commands on a remote machine)
    ipconfig /flushdns
    ipconfig /release
    ipconfig /renew

Source: https://github.com/AdguardTeam/AdGuardHome/wiki/Getting-Started