Installing Arduino

Visit arduino.cc to download the latest version of Arduino

Click on the Windows Installer link to download the installer, then double click to launch it

You may get a warning asking if you're sure you want to run the installer. It's ok, click YES

There is an open source license to click through. Install in the default location

You can use the default setup installation options

Finally it will take a minute or two to install

When done you'll have the software installed

Circuit Playground Driver (Windows 7 Only)

You will need to install separate drivers for the Circuit Playground board

For all Adafruit compatibles, we have an all in one installer that will install all of the Adafruit board drivers

Click below to download our Driver Installer

Download and run the installer

Run the installer! Since we bundle the SiLabs and FTDI drivers as well, you'll need to click through the license

Select which drivers you want to install (we suggest selecting all of them so you never have to worry about installing drivers when you start to explore other Arduino-compatibles)

Click Install to do the installin'

You should not need to restart your computer but it's not a bad idea!

Find your Serial (COM) Port

To verify your Arduino driver installed properly, plug it into USB and open up the Device Manager. You can find the Device Manager in the Control Panel (search for Device Manager)

When you open the Device Manager, find the section called Ports and expand it:

You'll see an icon next to some text that says Adafruit Circuit Playground (COMxx) where xx is a number

The COM number may vary but it should be something like COM3 or COM4. The COM stands for "communication", and each one has a unique number, known as the COM Port number. In this case the COM Port number is COM18.

You can unplug your 'Play to see the COM port device disappear and re-appear when plugged in.

If you don't see the Circuit Playground show up, check:

  • Is your cable a data cable or charge only? Try another USB cable
  • Try another USB port!
  • Verify you installed the drivers, you can always try installing them again (never hurts) and rebooting

This guide was first published on Jul 19, 2016. It was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

This page (Install Software (Windows)) was last updated on Jul 19, 2016.

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