How to Install Gnuplot on Windows (6.0.5)

The fastest way to install gnuplot on Windows is the official 6.0.5 installer from SourceForge. Download it, run it, tick the PATH option during setup, then verify with gnuplot --version in a fresh terminal. The whole process takes about five minutes.

What You Need

• A Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC (64-bit)
• About 120 MB of free disk space
• Administrator rights are not required for a per-user install, but make setup smoother

Step-by-Step Installation

1. Download the installer. Get the 6.0.5 Windows installer via our official SourceForge download link, or browse all platform packages on the download page. The file is named gp605-win64-mingw.exe (about 46.4 MB).
2. Run the installer. Double-click the downloaded file. If Windows shows a SmartScreen prompt, click More info and then Run anyway — this prompt appears for many legitimate open tools that are not distributed through the Microsoft Store.
3. Choose the install location. The default C:\Program Files\gnuplot works for most people.
4. Tick “Add application directory to your PATH”. This checkbox appears in the installer’s component/options screen and is the single most important step. With it enabled, you can type gnuplot in any terminal. Without it, the command will not be recognised later.
5. Finish setup. Click through the remaining screens and let the installer complete.
6. Open a new terminal. Close any Command Prompt or PowerShell windows that were open during setup — PATH changes only apply to terminals opened afterwards.
7. Verify. Run the version check below.

Verify the Installation

In a new Command Prompt or PowerShell window, run:

gnuplot --version

You should see:

gnuplot 6.0 patchlevel 5

Then start an interactive session and draw a first test plot:

gnuplot
plot sin(x)

A window with a sine curve means everything works. Type exit to quit. For a fuller checklist, see our guide to verifying your gnuplot installation.

Common Pitfalls

• “gnuplot is not recognized” after installing: you likely skipped the PATH checkbox, or your terminal was already open. Re-run the installer and tick the option, then open a fresh terminal.
• Download blocked by the browser: some browsers flag .exe downloads from mirror networks. Download only from the SourceForge link above and check the file name matches gp605-win64-mingw.exe.

On Windows 11 specifically, see our Windows 11 installation notes. Prefer not to install anything? You can run gnuplot in your browser on the online gnuplot page.