Quickstart Windows

Download

The easiest (and recommended) way to install MongoDB is to use the pre-built binaries. Note: 64-bit is recommended, although you must have a 64-bit version of Windows to run that version.

32-bit binaries

Download and extract the 32-bit .zip. The "Production" build is recommended.

64-bit binaries

Download and extract the 64-bit .zip.

Unzip

Unzip the downloaded binary package to the location of your choice. You may want to rename mongo-xxxxxxx to just "mongo" for convenience.

Create a data directory

By default MongoDB will store data in \data\db, but it won't automatically create that folder, so we do so here:

C:\> mkdir \data
C:\> mkdir \data\db

Or you can do this from the Windows Explorer, of course.

If you prefer to place datafiles elsewhere, use the --dbpath command line parameter when starting mongod.exe.

Run and connect to the server

The important binaries for a first run are:

• mongod.exe - the database server. Try mongod --help to see startup options.
• mongo.exe - the administrative shell

To run the database, click mongod.exe in Explorer, or run it from a CMD window.

C:\> cd \my_mongo_dir\bin
C:\my_mongo_dir\bin> mongod

This will start the mongod.exe server running, and you will see log messages displayed in this window as the server runs. Note: It is also possible to run the server as a Windows Service. But we can do that later.

Now, start the administrative shell, either by double-clicking mongo.exe in Explorer, or from a new CMD prompt. By default mongo.exe connects to a mongod server running on localhost and uses the database named test. Run mongo --help to see other options.

C:\> cd \my_mongo_dir\bin
C:\my_mongo_dir\bin> mongo
> // the mongo shell is a javascript shell connected to the db
> // by default it connects to database 'test' at localhost
> 3+3
6
> db
test
> // the first write will create the db:
> db.foo.insert( { a : 1 } )
> db.foo.find()
{ _id : ..., a : 1 }
> show dbs
...
> show collections
...
> help

Congratulations, you've just saved and retrieved your first document with MongoDB!

Writing Apps

You can write apps that use MongoDB in virtual any programming language. See the Drivers page for a full list, and also the C# page if writing .NET applications.

Learn more

• The MongoDB Tutorial (not Windows specific)
• Main MongoDB Windows Doc Page
• [More on using the mongo shell]