Windows setup

FEWD Studio works on Windows 11 and Windows 10. This guide covers everything you need to get started — including a few things that can trip up Windows users who are used to Linux-based workflows.

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Prerequisites

Node.js

FEWD uses Node.js to scaffold Astro projects and run the development server from the built-in terminal. You need Node.js installed natively on Windows — not inside WSL or any other Linux environment.

Download and install from nodejs.org — choose the LTS version. The installer handles everything including adding Node and npm to your Windows PATH.

To confirm it’s working, open Command Prompt and run:

node -v
npm -v

Both should return version numbers. If they don’t, restart your machine after installing — the PATH update sometimes requires it.

Do I need WSL?

No. WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) is not required and should not be used with FEWD. FEWD is a Windows application — it runs its terminal through cmd.exe and works entirely within the Windows filesystem. If you have WSL installed for other reasons, that’s fine, but keep your FEWD projects in normal Windows folders and install Node.js for Windows separately.

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Creating your first project

When choosing a location for a new project, always use a standard Windows path:

C:\Users\YourName\Projects\my-site

Do not use paths inside a WSL filesystem (\\wsl.localhost\Ubuntu\...). FEWD cannot use these paths — Windows itself treats them as network paths that cmd.exe cannot navigate to, and project creation will fail.

If you are unsure where to put your project, the Desktop or your Documents folder are both fine choices to start with.

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Terminal

FEWD has a built-in terminal for running the Astro dev server and other commands. On Windows this runs through cmd.exe.

Astro dev server

When you connect an Astro project, FEWD automatically opens a terminal pane and runs npm run dev. The preview panel loads once the dev server is ready. You don’t need to open a separate terminal window.

Path formatting

Windows uses backslashes (\) in paths. FEWD handles this internally — you do not need to reformat paths when using the file picker or project panel.

If the terminal does not start

• Confirm Node.js is installed natively on Windows (see Prerequisites above)
• Check that npm is available in cmd.exe — open Command Prompt and run npm -v
• If npm is not found, reinstall Node.js from nodejs.org and restart your machine

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Common issues

“UNC paths are not supported”

Cause: Your project folder is inside a WSL Linux filesystem (\\wsl.localhost\...).

Fix: Move your project to a normal Windows folder such as C:\Users\YourName\Projects\. WSL is not needed — install Node.js for Windows from nodejs.org instead.

Instant error about “distributions” on project creation

Cause: WSL is installed and has placed its own bash.exe (C:\Windows\System32\bash.exe) on your Windows PATH. FEWD was picking this up as the terminal shell, causing WSL to output a Linux distributions error before any project creation could begin.

Fix: This is resolved in FEWD 1.7.7 and later. If you are on an older version, install Git for Windows — FEWD will use Git Bash instead of WSL’s bash, and the error will not occur.

Windows Defender / antivirus warnings

Electron apps are occasionally flagged by Windows Defender or third-party antivirus software on first launch. This is a false positive. FEWD is a signed application — if you see a SmartScreen warning, click “More info” then “Run anyway”. If your antivirus quarantines the installer, add an exception for it.

App does not open after install

If double-clicking the installed app does nothing, try right-clicking and choosing “Run as administrator” once. After the first launch, normal double-click should work.

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Recommended folder structure

C:\Users\YourName\Projects\
  my-astro-site\
  another-project\

Keep projects on a local drive (C: or D:) rather than a network share or external drive — the file watcher FEWD uses to detect changes works most reliably on local NTFS volumes.