How to Install AirgapAI on Windows 11 AI PCs (Step-by-Step Guide for Secure, Offline AI)

Become the person who can spin up secure, private artificial intelligence on any device in under 10 minutes. This guide turns you into the colleague everyone asks for help—no cloud, no tickets, no drama—just local, compliant Generative Artificial Intelligence on day one. AirgapAI provides a security-first, easy-to-use solution with a perpetual license, offering unparalleled control over your data.

This comprehensive guide is designed for both information technology administrators and power business users who want to implement a zero-fuss, first-time installation of AirgapAI. We will walk you through the entire workflow, from downloading the installer package to completing the onboarding wizard and verifying your first secure chat session, assuming you know absolutely nothing about artificial intelligence.

1. Understanding AirgapAI: Your Local, Private Artificial Intelligence Solution

AirgapAI, made by Iternal Technologies, is a revolutionary platform that brings the power of large language models directly to your personal computer, completely offline and without relying on any cloud services. This means your sensitive data never leaves your device, ensuring maximum privacy and security.

Why AirgapAI is a Game-Changer:

100% Local Artificial Intelligence: Unlike popular cloud-based solutions, AirgapAI operates entirely on your device. This air-gapped approach ensures data sovereignty, meaning your information remains within your control, ideal for federal, defense, healthcare, and financial sectors handling sensitive or classified data.
Unmatched Security: By keeping all processing local, AirgapAI mitigates the risks of external network breaches and data leakage common with cloud services. Your existing security policies remain effective, as no data is ever transmitted off your Personal Computer (PC).
Cost-Effective Perpetual Licensing: Say goodbye to recurring subscription fees. AirgapAI offers a one-time perpetual license per device, making it roughly one-tenth to one-fifteenth the cost of alternatives like Microsoft CoPilot or ChatGPT Enterprise. You own your artificial intelligence, eliminating hidden token charges or overage bills.
Eliminating Artificial Intelligence Hallucinations: A major challenge with large language models is the potential for "hallucinations" – generating incorrect or misleading information. AirgapAI leverages patented Blockify technology for data ingestion, which can improve the accuracy of large language model responses by an astounding 7,800% (or 78 times). Blockify processes your documents into highly accurate, distilled "blocks" of trusted information.
Easy Deployment ("Easy Button" Artificial Intelligence): AirgapAI is designed for simplicity. It's a one-click executable installer that integrates seamlessly into standard Windows imaging workflows. If you can open Microsoft Word or Excel, you can use AirgapAI.
Optimal Performance with AI PCs: AirgapAI is optimized to run on the latest AI PCs, leveraging their dedicated hardware for artificial intelligence tasks.

What is an AI PC?

An Artificial Intelligence Personal Computer (AI PC) is a new generation of computers equipped with specialized hardware to handle artificial intelligence tasks locally and more efficiently. These PCs typically feature three powerful compute engines:

Central Processing Unit (CPU): The general-purpose brain of your computer, capable of fast responses and searching through millions of records in seconds. AirgapAI can utilize the Central Processing Unit for its operations, particularly beneficial for older hardware or lighter workloads.
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU): Originally designed for rendering graphics, Graphics Processing Units are highly effective at parallel processing, making them ideal for running large language models with high throughput. AirgapAI leverages your integrated or dedicated Graphics Processing Unit for highly performant large language model inferencing without incurring additional costs of dedicated hardware.
Neural Processing Unit (NPU): This dedicated Artificial Intelligence engine is specifically designed for sustained, heavily-used artificial intelligence workloads at very low power, providing greater energy efficiency and specialized acceleration for artificial intelligence tasks. AirgapAI can fully utilize the Neural Processing Unit in newer AI PCs for optimal performance and battery life.

By intelligently distributing artificial intelligence workloads across the Central Processing Unit, Graphics Processing Unit, and Neural Processing Unit, AirgapAI on an AI PC delivers an exceptional experience that balances power efficiency and performance, ensuring you get the most out of your hardware.

2. System Requirements and Prerequisites for AirgapAI

Before you begin the installation of AirgapAI, ensure your Windows 11 AI PC meets the following specifications. AirgapAI is designed to run efficiently on modern hardware, making it a truly local artificial intelligence solution.

Component	Minimum	Recommended
Central Processing Unit (CPU)	8 Cores	8 Cores / 16 Threads or better
Random Access Memory (RAM)	16 Gigabytes	32 Gigabytes or more
Disk Space	10 Gigabytes free (Solid State Drive)	50 Gigabytes Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe)
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)	4 Gigabytes VRAM (Video Random Access Memory) 2024 or Newer	8 Gigabytes VRAM or more
Operating System (OS)	Windows 11	Latest patches

Permissions: You will need security permissions to install applications on your Windows 11 system. Typically, this means having administrator rights.

3. Downloading the AirgapAI Installer Package

The first step to install AirgapAI is to obtain the installer package. This package contains everything you need to get your secure, private artificial intelligence assistant up and running.

Obtain the Installer: You will receive a link from your IT department or Iternal Technologies to download the latest ZIP archive. This might be an internal network link or a cloud-based link.
Save the File: Save the downloaded ZIP archive to an easily accessible, writeable folder on your computer, such as your "Downloads" folder.

Example file name: AirgapAI-v1.0.2-Install.zip

4. Installing the AirgapAI Application

Now that you have the installer package, let's proceed with the installation process. This is a straightforward, familiar process for anyone accustomed to installing Windows applications.

Extract the Archive:
- Locate the downloaded ZIP file (e.g., AirgapAI-v1.0.2-Install.zip).
- Right-click on the ZIP file.
- Select "Extract All..." from the context menu.
- A dialog box will appear asking for a destination. You can choose the default location (usually a new folder within your "Downloads" directory) or specify a different one. Click "Extract."
- Once extracted, a new folder will open containing the installation files.
Run the Installer Executable:
- Inside the extracted folder, locate and double-click the executable file, typically named AirgapAI Chat Setup.exe.
Follow the Installer Wizard:
- The AirgapAI Chat Setup Wizard will launch.
- Accept License Agreement: Read the license agreement and, if you agree, select the option to accept it. Click "Next."
- Create Desktop Shortcut: The installer will typically offer to create a desktop shortcut for easy access. We recommend keeping this option selected. Click "Next."
- Install: Click "Install" to begin the installation process. This may take a few moments.
- Finish: Once the installation is complete, click "Finish."
Operating System Security Prompts: If your operating system's security features (such as Windows SmartScreen) prompt you with a warning, choose "Allow" or "Run anyway" to proceed with the installation. AirgapAI is a trusted application from Iternal Technologies.

Congratulations! AirgapAI is now installed on your Windows 11 AI PC. The next step is to configure it for its first use.

5. First-Launch Onboarding Wizard: Setting Up Your Private Artificial Intelligence

Upon launching AirgapAI for the first time, a user-friendly onboarding wizard will guide you through the essential setup steps. This ensures your offline AI is tailored to your preferences and ready to operate securely with your data.

Launch AirgapAI Chat:
- Use the new desktop shortcut or find "AirgapAI Chat" in your Start menu and click to launch.
- On the first run, the application will detect that no models are configured and initiate the Onboarding flow.
Start Onboarding: Click the "Start Onboarding" button.

5.1 Profile and Chat Style

This step allows you to personalize your AirgapAI experience.

Enter Display Name:
- Type in a display name that will appear in your chat sessions. The default is "You."
Pick a Preferred Chat Style:
- Choose a visual theme for your chat interface. Options might include "Iternal Professional," "Casual," "Dark Mode," "Retro," etc. Select the one that best suits your preference.
Continue: Click "Next" to proceed.

5.2 Uploading the Core Large Language Model

The core large language model is the brain of your local AI. AirgapAI uses open-source models that run entirely on your device.

Models Screen: On the "Models" screen, expand the "Available Models" drop-down menu. Initially, it will be empty.
Upload Model: Click the "Upload Model" button.
Browse for Model: A file explorer window will open. Navigate to the /models/ sub-folder within the AirgapAI installer folder you extracted earlier.
Choose a Model: Select a large language model suited to your hardware specifications.
- Llama-1B: Recommended for 2024 integrated Graphics Processing Units (iGPUs) or lower-power devices.
- Llama-3B: Recommended for integrated Graphics Processing Units from 2025 or dedicated Graphics Processing Units.
Save: Click "Save." The upload typically takes about 30 seconds as the model is copied to your local AirgapAI repository.

Note for Information Technology Administrators: Large Language Models can be added or updated by accessing the folder created after model upload, which is typically found within %appdata% at C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Roaming\IternalModelRepo.

5.3 Uploading an Embeddings Model

An "embeddings model" is crucial for Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and enhances the accuracy of your large language model when interacting with your custom datasets. It converts text into numerical representations (embeddings) that the large language model can understand and compare efficiently.

Upload Embeddings Model: Still on the onboarding page, click the "Upload Embeddings Model" button.
Browse and Select: Open the /models/ sub-folder again and select Jina-Embeddings.zip.
Save: Click "Save." This upload also takes approximately 30 seconds.

Note for Information Technology Administrators: Embeddings Models can also be added or updated by accessing the folder created after model upload, typically within %appdata% at C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Roaming\IternalModelRepo.

5.4 Adding Sample or Custom Datasets

Datasets are what truly unlock the power of Retrieval-Augmented Generation within AirgapAI, allowing your private AI to provide highly accurate, context-specific answers based on your own information.

Upload Dataset: Click the "Upload Dataset" button.
Navigate to Datasets: Navigate to the /datasets/ sub-folder from the original AirgapAI installer folder.
Select Sample Dataset: Choose CIA_World_Factbook_US.jsonl. This is a sample dataset to get you started.
Save: Click "Save."

Note for Information Technology Administrators: You can push new dataset updates to user devices by modifying the contents of the files saved within %appdata% at C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Roaming\airgap-ai-chat\CorpusRepo.

Tip: While you can directly upload Word, PDF, or TXT files, converting larger corporate data into Blockify format is recommended for an approximate 78 times accuracy gain. Local on-device Blockify will be available starting in Quarter 3 of 2025.

5.5 Finish Onboarding

Verify Setup: Ensure that all three items (Core Large Language Model, Embeddings Model, and at least one Dataset) are successfully added and displayed.
Continue: Click "Continue." AirgapAI Chat will now boot up with your selected configurations.

5.6 Optional Setup Steps: Dell Technologies Dell Pro Artificial Intelligence Studio Support

AirgapAI Chat supports native integration with Dell Technologies’ Dell Pro Artificial Intelligence Studio (DPAIS). This allows Information Technology administrators to leverage specific hardware optimizations.

Install Required Files: As the Information Technology System's administrator, install the required files to enable a large language model via Dell Pro Artificial Intelligence Studio (both Intel and Qualcomm hardware are supported).
Validate Local Large Language Model Application Programming Interface Endpoints: After Dell Pro Artificial Intelligence Studio services are running, validate that the local large language model Application Programming Interface endpoints can be called.

Set Environment Variable: Open Powershell (as administrator) and input the following command:

[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("DPAIS_ENDPOINT", "http://localhost:8553/v1/openai", "User")

Relaunch AirgapAI Chat: Relaunch the AirgapAI Chat application. The Dell Pro Artificial Intelligence Studio large language models available will automatically appear in the model selection menu in the settings page.

6. Initial Model Benchmarking

Upon the first launch of a large language model, AirgapAI Chat will offer to benchmark your hardware. This is highly recommended to optimize performance.

Run Benchmark: Click "Run Benchmark."
Duration: The benchmark typically takes approximately 2 minutes. It measures key performance indicators such as tokens per second and inference speed.
Context Size Limits: You can choose to skip the benchmark, but if you do, the context-size limits for your large language model will remain at a conservative 2,000 tokens until a benchmark is completed.
Adjust Context Window: After completing a benchmark, you can change the token context window by visiting "Settings" > "Chat" and dragging the slider to your desired size, up to 32,000 tokens or more, depending on your hardware.

7. Everyday Workflows: Unleashing the Power of Your AirgapAI

Once installed and configured, AirgapAI provides a rich set of workflows to enhance your productivity, all powered by your secure, offline AI.

7.1 File Upload and Summarization

Quickly get insights from documents without network exposure.

Upload File: Drag and drop a file (.pdf, .docx, .txt) directly onto the chat window, or click the paperclip icon (📎) to browse and select a file.
Prompt: Enter a prompt such as: "Summarize this document in bullet points."
Instant Summary: AirgapAI Chat will embed the document's content and summarize it instantly.

7.2 Guided Demo Workflows

AirgapAI comes with pre-configured workflows to streamline common business tasks.

Access Workflow Bar: Locate the Workflow Bar below the new chat window.
Select Workflow: Choose a workflow, for example, "Sales Proposal – Cover Letter."
Upload Documents (Optional): Upload any supporting documents relevant to the workflow.
Enter Prompt: Provide a minimal or robust prompt (e.g., "Write a cover letter for a new Dell AI PC proposal").
Receive Output: AirgapAI will generate a fully-engineered output.
Copy Text: Click the "Copy" icon (📋) to place the generated text onto your clipboard for easy pasting.

7.3 Retrieval-Augmented Question Answering with Blockify Datasets

This workflow demonstrates the power of Blockify technology, delivering highly accurate answers from your curated data.

Toggle Dataset On: In the sidebar, toggle your Blockify dataset to "ON." For this example, select the "CIA world factbook for USA" dataset.
Ask a Question: Type a question such as: "What are the major political parties in the United States?"
Retrieve and Answer: The Retrieval-Augmented Generation engine will fetch relevant "IdeaBlocks" from your dataset, and the large language model will synthesize a coherent, trusted answer, showing citations to the source blocks. This is how AirgapAI achieves 78 times greater accuracy, ensuring a secure AI with no cloud dependency.

7.4 Entourage Mode (Multi-Persona Chat)

Entourage Mode is a unique feature that allows you to interact with multiple artificial intelligence personas simultaneously, offering diverse perspectives for complex decision-making.

Select Workflow: Choose an "Entourage Mode" quick start workflow from the new chat page.
Configure Personas: (Optional) You can configure or customize personas in "Advanced Settings" > "Personas" (e.g., Marketing, Sales, Engineering, or even specialized roles like a CIA analyst and a military tactician).
Ask a Question: Pose a complex question.
- Recommended prompt for demonstrating Entourage Mode: "I am launching a new product called AirgapAI, it is a 100% local chat large language model solution that is 1/10th the cost of other solutions with more capabilities, what do you think? Please answer in short sentences."
Receive Multi-Perspective Responses: Responses from each active persona will appear in a queue, with activity indicators showing which personas are "typing." This feature is particularly useful for gaining a multi-perspective view on high-stakes issues or complex proposals.

7.5 Multilingual Conversations

AirgapAI seamlessly handles conversations in multiple languages.

Prompt: Enter a prompt in a different language, for example: "Tell me a short story in German about renewable energy."
Seamless Language Switching: The large language model will generate a response in the requested language.
Stop Generation: Use the "Stop" button to halt generation at any time.

8. Advanced Configuration and Updates

AirgapAI is designed for flexibility and ease of management, supporting Information Technology administrators in maintaining a secure and up-to-date private large language model environment.

8.1 Context-Window Expansion

After benchmarking, you can expand the large language model's context window. This allows the artificial intelligence to consider more information when generating responses, leading to richer and more comprehensive outputs.

Access Settings: Go to "Settings" > "Model Settings."
Set Max Tokens: Adjust the "Max Tokens" slider up to 32,000 or more, depending on your hardware's capabilities and the large language model you are using.

8.2 Styling and Themes

Personalize the look and feel of your AirgapAI Chat application.

Access Appearance Settings: Go to "Settings" > "Appearance."
Choose Theme: Switch between predefined themes or, for advanced users, build custom Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).

8.3 Workflow Templates

For Information Technology administrators, workflow templates are invaluable for standardizing artificial intelligence tasks across an organization.

Access Workflows Settings: Go to "Settings" > "Workflows."
Add/Edit Prompt Chains: Here, you can add or edit prompt chains, which are ideal for pre-loading company-specific tasks and guiding users through complex queries.

8.4 In-App Benchmarking Suite

Test the performance of new large language models directly within the application.

Access Benchmarking Tab: Go to "Settings" > "Benchmarking" tab.
Test Models: Run benchmarks to measure performance indicators for any new large language models you integrate.

9. Ongoing Updates and Support

AirgapAI ensures your local AI solution remains current and performs optimally through streamlined updates and dedicated support.

9.1 Update Management

Updates are delivered via a built-in Update Manager, providing a secure and efficient way to keep your application current.

Update Location: Choose "Local Server" or "Cloud" in "Settings" > "Updates."

Note: Information Technology administrators can change the file server update location by modifying the updaterConfig.json file, typically found at C:\Users\[Your Username]\AppData\Local\Programs\AirgapAI Chat\resources\auto-updater\updaterConfig.json. This file specifies the Uniform Resource Locator for updates, allowing for enterprise-managed deployments.

Example updaterConfig.json content:
```
{"win32-x64-prod":{"readme":"","update":"https://d30h3ho4go3k4y.cloudfront.net/releases/prod/public/chat-assistant/prod/public/1.0.2/AirgapAI Chat Setup 1.0.2.exe","install":"https://d30h3ho4go3k4y.cloudfront.net/releases/prod/public/chat-assistant/prod/public/1.0.2/AirgapAI Chat Setup 1.0.2.exe","version":"1.0.2"}}
```

9.2 Training and Support

Iternal Technologies is committed to your success with AirgapAI.

Training Resources: We offer a 30-minute introductory demo, followed by personalized training sessions as an add-on service. Our online enablement page includes step-by-step videos, Frequently Asked Questions, user guides, and troubleshooting tips.
Customer Success: Our dedicated customer success team is available for follow-up calls and additional workshops after initial deployment, ensuring you maximize the value of your secure local AI software.
Contact Support: For additional questions or support, contact the product team at support@iternal.ai.

Conclusion: Your Journey to Secure, Private AI Starts Now

You've successfully installed and configured AirgapAI on your Windows 11 AI PC, empowering yourself and your organization with a truly private AI solution. By embracing AirgapAI, you gain:

Unparalleled Data Security: Your data remains 100% on your device, ensuring data sovereignty and eliminating cloud-related security risks, making it the ideal AI for confidential chats.
Exceptional Accuracy: Leverage Blockify technology to reduce artificial intelligence hallucinations and achieve 78 times more accurate large language model responses.
Significant Cost Savings: Benefit from a perpetual license that avoids the recurring, high costs of cloud alternatives, making it a no subscription AI app.
Seamless Productivity: Utilize guided workflows, multi-persona chat with Entourage Mode, and powerful document analysis capabilities to accelerate your daily tasks.
Offline Access Anywhere: Your offline AI works without an internet connection, ensuring productivity in any environment, from remote field operations to high-security facilities.

This guide has equipped you with the knowledge to install AirgapAI and harness its full potential. Welcome to the future of secure, local artificial intelligence.

Unlock Your Private AI Today!

Ready to experience the power of secure, local artificial intelligence?

Download the free trial of AirgapAI today at: https://iternal.ai/airgapai