Installing on Windows

Install ManualWorks on Windows in the following order.

This chapter is based on Windows 11. The steps are the same on Windows 10, but some menu names and screens are different.

  1. Install Java.

  2. Download the ManualWorks installation file.

  3. Extract the ManualWorks installation file.

  4. Start ManualWorks.

  5. Run the Installation Wizard.

Installation Wizard

Explains how to enter the license key and create a user with the Administrator role after you install ManualWorks.

Running as a Windows Service

Explains how to register ManualWorks installed on Windows as a Windows service and manage it.

Using OpenJDK

ManualWorks requires Java. This chapter explains how to use OpenJDK instead of Oracle JDK.

Installing Java

Checking Whether Java Is Installed

Check whether Java is installed, and which version, as follows.

  1. Press Windows + X, and select <1Terminal> from the context menu. On Windows 10, select <Windows PowerShell>.

Opening Windows PowerShell

Opening Windows PowerShell

  1. In the terminal (Windows PowerShell), run the following command.

java -version

If you do not see a result like the following, or if the version is earlier than Java 11, install Java.

Checking the Java version

Checking the Java version

In line with the Oracle Java license, ManualWorks supports the LTS (Long Term Support) versions 8, 11, 17, 21, and 25. For stability and performance, however, we recommend Java 25.

Installing Java

Install Java on Windows as follows. To install OpenJDK, see Using OpenJDK.

  1. Download the Java installer from the Oracle Java website.

    • Download Java 25.

JRE or JDK?


The JRE (Java Runtime Environment) runs software written in Java, such as ManualWorks. The JDK (Java Development Kit) bundles the JRE with the tools needed to develop Java software. The JRE updates itself automatically, and each update means you must change the JRE_HOME path. Therefore, use the JDK.

  1. Run the downloaded file to install Java.

Setting the JAVA_HOME Environment Variable

Set the JAVA_HOME environment variable as follows. If you prefer to set JAVA_HOME in the startup (startup.bat) and shutdown (shutdown.bat) scripts instead, skip this section.

  1. Open File Explorer, select 1This PC (or My Computer), and right-click it to open the context menu.

  2. Click <2Properties> in the context menu.

Opening the computer properties

Opening the computer properties

  1. Under Related links, click <3Advanced system settings>. On Windows 10, it is under Related settings.

Viewing basic information about your computer

Viewing basic information about your computer

  1. In the System Properties window, select the <4Advanced> tab, and click the <5Environment Variables> button at the bottom of the tab.

System Properties window

System Properties window

  1. In the Environment Variables window, click the <6New> button under the “System variables” panel.

Environment Variables window

Environment Variables window

  1. In the New System Variable window, enter the variable name and value, and click <7OK>.

New system variable

New system variable

For the variable value, enter the path of the folder where the JDK is installed. You can find the exact path in the C:\Program Files\Java folder.

Environment variable


Variable name

Variable value1

JDK installed

JAVA_HOME

C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-25.0.1

If JRE_HOME is set, it takes precedence over JAVA_HOME.

Installing ManualWorks

To install ManualWorks, download the installation file and extract it.

  1. Download the Windows installation file from the ManualWorks download page.

  2. Extract the file, and move the 3rabbitz folder to the folder where you want to install ManualWorks.

The full path of the installation folder must not contain spaces or special characters (~!@#$%^&*()_+|"<>':`). Do not install ManualWorks in the C:\Program Files folder.

Product folder structure

Product folder structure

  1. If you did not set JAVA_HOME above, open the ManualWorks scripts (3RABBITZ_HOME/bin/startup.bat and 3RABBITZ_HOME/bin/shutdown.bat) in a text editor, such as Notepad, and add the following line.

set JAVA_HOME=C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-25.0.1

Configuring the Database

To use a different database, configure the database connection before you start ManualWorks. See the following chapters.

If you use the default database included in the installation file, go to the next step.

To move data from an earlier version that used Apache Derby to H2 or another database, use the database migration feature. To turn it on, place an empty file named migrate in the 3RABBITZ_HOME directory and start ManualWorks. Migrating to H2 requires Java 11 or later. For details, see Migrating the Database.

Starting ManualWorks

3RABBITZ_HOME refers to the folder where ManualWorks is installed.

Start ManualWorks as follows.

  1. In File Explorer, go to the 3RABBITZ_HOME\bin folder.

  2. Run startup.bat.

  3. Complete the initial setup with the Installation Wizard.

When you run startup.bat, a Command Prompt window opens and ManualWorks runs in it. If you close this window, ManualWorks stops. Keep the window open while you use ManualWorks, and to stop it, follow Stopping ManualWorks.

Stopping ManualWorks

Stop ManualWorks as follows.

  1. In File Explorer, go to the 3RABBITZ_HOME\bin folder.

  2. Run shutdown.bat.

  1. The value depends on the Java version and folder location.