Supported Windows Versions
The Windows edition of zqagent comes in three forms: Single-file CLI, desktop app, and npm install. Their system requirements differ; the table below is the complete support matrix.
Support Matrix
| Windows version | Single-file CLI | Desktop app | npm install |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Windows 10 1709 and later | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 / 2021 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2015 / 2016 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Windows 10 1507 – 1703 (standard edition) | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Windows 8.1 / Server 2012 R2 | ❌ Not guaranteed | ❌ | ⚠️ Not verified |
| Windows 8 / Server 2012 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Windows 7 / Server 2008 R2 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
The table above covers the standard build. Legacy systems have a separate slim build (Windows Server 2012) that embeds a Node.js 12 runtime and runs on Server 2012 / Server 2008 R2 / Windows 7 SP1, with a subset of the standard tools. | Windows Server 2016 / 2019 / 2022 | ✅ | ⚠️ Requires Desktop Experience | ✅ | | 32-bit (x86) Windows | ❌ No artifacts provided | ❌ | ⚠️ Not verified |
Only 64-bit (x64) and ARM64 artifacts are available. On 32-bit Windows, please use another machine.
The bar for the desktop edition on Windows 10 is 1709
What determines whether the desktop edition can be installed is not the Windows version number itself, but the WebView2 Runtime: it supports Windows 10 SAC 1709 and later, as well as Enterprise LTSC 2015 / 2016 / 2019 / 2021. So although LTSC 2015 (1507 baseline) and LTSC 2016 (1607 baseline) have version numbers earlier than 1709, the desktop edition can still be installed; whereas the standard editions with the same version numbers (1511 / 1607 / 1703) cannot. Browsers' UA cannot distinguish LTSC from standard editions, so the website will not proactively recommend the desktop edition for these two versions; you need to determine it yourself according to this table.
Windows 10 support ended on 2025-10-14
Windows 10 (Home / Pro) no longer receives Microsoft security updates as of that date; 22H2 is the last version. Technical operation is unaffected, but if it is used to handle sensitive data, upgrading to Windows 11 is recommended. Enterprise / IoT LTSC versions continue to receive updates according to their respective long-term servicing cycles.
Why Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 Do Not Work
This is not a matter of "the installer is missing a runtime"; rather, OS APIs are missing:
- The Single-file CLI embeds the Node.js 22 runtime, which statically imports
GetSystemTimePreciseAsFileTime(available since Windows 8), and the runtime also looks up synchronization primitives such asWaitOnAddressthat only exist since Windows 8. On Windows 7, the system loader rejects the program before it actually starts executing: "The procedure entry point could not be located". - The embedded ripgrep depends on
api-ms-win-core-synch-l1-2-0.dll, which is likewise only available since Windows 8. - In addition to the Node runtime, the desktop app also requires the WebView2 Runtime, and WebView2 (which follows Microsoft Edge) has dropped support for Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 and Server 2008 R2 / 2012 / 2012 R2 since Edge 109 (2023-01).
Therefore, installing the Visual C++ runtime (UCRT / VC++ Redistributable) will not solve the problem: the official Node binaries statically link the C runtime into the executable and do not load the UCRT at all; what is missing are system functions in kernel32, which no runtime library can supply.
What to do with an old machine
Install zqagent on another computer (or server) that meets the requirements, then use the old machine's browser to access its console:
http://<新主机的 IP>:8787This way, the old machine only acts as a browser and does not need to run any zqagent components.
Additional Requirements for the Desktop App
| Dependency | Requirement |
|---|---|
| WebView2 Runtime | Windows 10 1709+ / Windows Server 2016+; built into Win11 |
| Node runtime | Bundled with the desktop edition; no separate installation required |
| System architecture | x64 or ARM64 |
Windows Server requires the Desktop Experience feature to be installed in Server Manager before it has a full graphical interface.