# \[Windows\] How to install Anki in Program Files and set ANKI\_BASE to user folders

**URL:** <https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/windows-how-to-install-anki-in-program-files-and-set-anki-base-to-user-folders/69040>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [March 1, 2026, 1:16pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/windows-how-to-install-anki-in-program-files-and-set-anki-base-to-user-folders/69040 "2026-03-01T13:16:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mar8gas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ec9cab/32.png) [@mar8gas](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/mar8gas)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 1:16pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/windows-how-to-install-anki-in-program-files-and-set-anki-base-to-user-folders/69040/1 "2026-03-01T13:16:42Z")

</div>

Hello,

My computer policies block installing applications in user’s folders.

Therefore, I’m trying to install Anki in Program Files and set Anki Base to user’s editable folders.

I tried with \*.bat file similar to installing on USB:

```auto
@echo off
set ANKI_LAUNCHER_VENV_ROOT="C:\Program Files\Anki\AnkiProgramFiles"
set ANKI_LAUNCHER="C:\Program Files\Anki\Launcher\anki"
set ANKI_BASE=C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Anki
echo Starting installing Anki...
start /b %ANKI_LAUNCHER%
echo Installed Anki...

```

It sets the variables but doesn’t run the launcher.

Do you have any ideas how to make it work?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BenJamesBen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@BenJamesBen](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/BenJamesBen)\
**Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 3:22am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/windows-how-to-install-anki-in-program-files-and-set-anki-base-to-user-folders/69040/2 "2026-03-02T03:22:14Z")

</div>

> [@mar8gas](#):
>
> ```auto
> set ANKI_LAUNCHER="C:\Program Files\Anki\Launcher\anki"
> start /b %ANKI_LAUNCHER%
> 
> ```

Assuming that the `C:\Program Files\Anki\Launcher\anki` executable does exist, perhaps try changing the `start` line to:

```auto
start "" /b %ANKI_LAUNCHER%

```

I don’t use Windows, but a brief internet search seems to suggest that when using an executable path surrounded by quotation marks, the title parameter needs to be provided. (So, we provide a quoted empty string as the title parameter.)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mar8gas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ec9cab/32.png) [@mar8gas](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/mar8gas)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 10:51am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/windows-how-to-install-anki-in-program-files-and-set-anki-base-to-user-folders/69040/3 "2026-03-03T10:51:54Z")

</div>

Sorry, but it didn’t help.

I even tried to put the direct path to the launcher with no success.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BenJamesBen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@BenJamesBen](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/BenJamesBen)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 1:05pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/windows-how-to-install-anki-in-program-files-and-set-anki-base-to-user-folders/69040/4 "2026-03-03T13:05:16Z")

</div>

When you execute the `start "" /b "C:\Program Files\Anki\Launcher\anki"` command manually from Command Prompt, what error messages do you see?

And, if running it from the Command prompt doesn’t work:

- Have you verified whether the `C:\Program Files\Anki\Launcher\anki` file exists at that location when you look for it in File Explorer?
- If you try to execute it in File Explorer, does it run then?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mar8gas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ec9cab/32.png) [@mar8gas](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/mar8gas)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/windows-how-to-install-anki-in-program-files-and-set-anki-base-to-user-folders/69040/5 "2026-03-04T20:01:10Z")

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Finally, it started to work with the following commands (double quote and double backslash made the difference):

```auto
@echo off
echo Starting Anki...
set USB_ROOT=%~dp0
set ANKI_LAUNCHER_VENV_ROOT=%USB_ROOT%\AnkiProgramFiles
set ANKI_LAUNCHER=%USB_ROOT%\Launcher\anki
set ANKI_BASE=C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Anki
start "" /b "C:\Program Files\Anki\\Launcher\anki"

```

The Anki.bat file is located in C:\Program Files\Anki

Thanks for help.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/anki2/original/1X/8f1279ababc5879d54e4838989f606cfe55af8c7.jpeg) [@system](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/system)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/windows-how-to-install-anki-in-program-files-and-set-anki-base-to-user-folders/69040/6 "2026-04-03T20:01:52Z")

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