# Install by .msi Installer v3 (Windows)
The recommended way to install Fluentd on Windows is to use MSI installers of `td-agent`.
## What is `td-agent`?
`td-agent` is a packaged distribution of Fluentd.
* Includes Ruby and other library dependencies (since most Windows machines don't have them installed).
* Includes a set of commonly-used 3rd-party plugins such as `out_es`.
* Originally developed by [Treasure Data, Inc](http://www.treasuredata.com/) (hence the name).
Currently two versions of `td-agent` are available.
* `td-agent` v4 packages Fluentd 1.11.x (or later). This version is recommended.
* `td-agent` v3 packages Fluentd 1.10.x (or below).
## `td-agent` v3
{% hint style="danger" %}
This article contains deprecated td-agent (EOL) information: SHOULD NOT use td-agent anymore.
* As [Treasure Agent (td-agent) 3 will not be maintained anymore](https://www.fluentd.org/blog/schedule-for-td-agent-3-eol), recommend to [Upgrade td-agent from v3 to v4](https://www.fluentd.org/blog/upgrade-td-agent-v3-to-v4).
* Do not directly upgrade from v3 to fluent-package v5. Such a workflow is not supported. It causes a trouble. Upgrade in stages. (v3 to v4, then v4 to v5)
* Package archive was migrated from [packages.treasuredata.com](https://packages.treasuredata.com) to [fluentd.cdn.cncf.io](https://fluentd.cdn.cncf.io/index.html).
{% endhint %}
### Step 1: Install `td-agent`
Please download and install the `.msi` file from here:
* [Download](https://td-agent-package-browser.herokuapp.com/3/windows)
### Step 2: Run `td-agent` from Command Prompt
First, please prepare your config file located at `C:/opt/td-agent/etc/td-agent/td-agent.conf`. The config below is the simplest example to output any incoming records to `td-agent`'s log file:
```
@type forward
@type stdout
```
After you have installed the .msi package, you will see the program called `Td-agent Command Prompt` installed. Please double click this icon in the Windows menu (below is how it looks like on Windows Server 2012).
In the prompt, please execute the command below to launch `td-agent` process:
```
> fluentd -c etc\td-agent\td-agent.conf
```
Then, please launch another `Td-agent Command Prompt` and type the command below to send a record to `td-agent` process:
```
> echo {"message":"hello"} | fluent-cat test.event
```
It's working properly if td-agent process outputs:
```
test.event: {"k", "v"}
```
### Step 3: Register `td-agent` to Windows Service
Next, register `td-agent` as a Windows Service to permanently run as a server process. Open `Td-agent Command Prompt` with administrative privileges, and type these commands:
```
> fluentd --reg-winsvc i
> fluentd --reg-winsvc-fluentdopt '-c C:/opt/td-agent/etc/td-agent/td-agent.conf -o C:/opt/td-agent/td-agent.log'
```
**NOTE**: Making `td-agent` service start automatically requires additional command-line parameters:
```
> fluentd --reg-winsvc i --reg-winsvc-auto-start --reg-winsvc-delay-start
> fluentd --reg-winsvc-fluentdopt '-c C:/opt/td-agent/etc/td-agent/td-agent.conf -o C:/opt/td-agent/td-agent.log'
```
### Step 4: Run `td-agent` as a Windows Service
#### Using GUI
Go to `Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools > Services`, and you should see `Fluentd Windows Service` listed there.
Double click on `Fluentd Window Service` and click `Start` to execute it as a Windows Service.
#### Using `net.exe`
```
> net start fluentdwinsvc
The Fluentd Windows Service service is starting..
The Fluentd Windows Service service was started successfully.
```
#### Using Powershell Cmdlet
```
PS> Start-Service fluentdwinsvc
```
Note that `fluentdwinsvc` is the Fluentd service name and it should be passed to `net.exe` or `Start-Service` Cmdlet to start.
The log file will be located at `C:/opt/td-agent/td-agent.log` as specified in Step 3 earlier.
### Step 4: Install Plugins
Open `Td-agent Command Prompt` and use `fluent-gem` command:
```
> fluent-gem install fluent-plugin-xyz --version=1.2.3
```
## Tips
### Manage privileges in td-agent 3.8.1 or later/td-agent 4.1.0 or later
You need admin privilege to execute `td-agent-gem` command. For upgrade users since 3.8.0 or earlier/td-agent 4.0.1 or earlier, explicitly remove privileges for `NT AUTHORITY\Authenticated Users` from `c:\opt\td-agent`.
This change is for fixing [CVE-2020-28169](https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2020-28169).
### Uninstall td-agent v3 being registered to Windows Service
When you uninstall td-agent v3, you should take care to see if it is registered to Windows Service, since td-agent v3 doesn't automatically unregister itself. If it is registered, you must unregister it manually before uninstalling it.
**NOTE**: If you uninstall td-agent v3 without unregistering it, the service remains after uninstalling and causes the v4 installation to fail. You need to reinstall td-agent v3 and unregister the service with the following steps.
You can check if it is registered with the following Powershell command:
```
PS> Get-Service fluentdwinsvc
```
You can unregister td-agent v3 with the following steps:
* Stop the service with the following Powershell command:
```
PS> Stop-Service fluentdwinsvc
```
* Open `Td-agent Command Prompt` with administrative privileges and type the following command:
```
> fluentd --reg-winsvc u
```
## Next Steps
You are now ready to collect real logs with Fluentd. Refer to the following tutorials on how to collect data from various sources:
* Basic Configuration
* [Config File](/configuration/config-file.md)
* Application Logs
* [Ruby](/language-bindings/ruby.md)
* [Java](/language-bindings/java.md)
* [Python](/language-bindings/python.md)
* [PHP](/language-bindings/php.md)
* [Perl](/language-bindings/perl.md)
* [Node.js](/language-bindings/nodejs.md)
* [Scala](/language-bindings/scala.md)
* Examples
* [Store Apache Log into Amazon S3](/how-to-guides/apache-to-s3.md)
* [Store Apache Log into MongoDB](/how-to-guides/apache-to-mongodb.md)
* [Data Collection into HDFS](/how-to-guides/http-to-hdfs.md)
For further steps, follow these:
* [ChangeLog of td-agent](https://docs.treasuredata.com/display/public/PD/The+td-agent+Change+Log)
* [Chef Cookbook](https://github.com/treasure-data/chef-td-agent/)
If this article is incorrect or outdated, or omits critical information, please [let us know](https://github.com/fluent/fluentd-docs-gitbook/issues?state=open). [Fluentd](http://www.fluentd.org/) is an open-source project under [Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)](https://cncf.io/). All components are available under the Apache 2 License.
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