How to Install Flutter on Windows 11

Installing Flutter and the Android development tools on Windows 11

Installing Flutter on Windows 11 involves two separate layers: the Flutter SDK itself and the tools for the platform you want to target. For Android apps, that normally means Flutter, Git, an editor, Android Studio, the Android SDK, and either an emulator or a physical phone.

This guide uses the current official Windows workflow and verifies every stage with command-line checks. When the installation is complete, you will create and run a small Flutter project instead of assuming that a successful download means the full Android toolchain is ready.

Understand Which Windows Tools You Actually Need

For Flutter Android development on Windows 11, install:

Git for Windows for Flutter SDK management and source control.
Visual Studio Code or Android Studio as your code editor.
Flutter SDK and its included Dart SDK.
Android Studio for Android SDK components, emulators, and native Android tooling.
Android SDK Platform-Tools for ADB device connections.

Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio are different products. Visual Studio is required when you want to compile Flutter Windows desktop apps. It is not required merely to build Flutter Android apps.

Step 1: Install Git and Visual Studio Code

Download Git for Windows from its official website and complete the normal installation. Then install the current Windows version of Visual Studio Code.

Open VS Code, select Extensions, and install the official Flutter extension. The Dart extension is installed with it. Restart VS Code if requested.

You can confirm that Git is available by opening PowerShell:

git --version

If Windows cannot find Git, close and reopen PowerShell after the installation.

Step 2: Install Flutter with VS Code

The official VS Code workflow is convenient for a first installation:

Open VS Code.
Press Ctrl + Shift + P to open the Command Palette.
Type Flutter: New Project and select it.
When VS Code asks for the Flutter SDK, choose Download SDK.
Select a user-writable folder for the SDK.
Choose Clone Flutter.
When prompted, select Add SDK to PATH.
Close and reopen terminals, then restart VS Code.

Use a simple folder such as C:\src\flutter or a development folder inside your user profile. Avoid C:\Program Files, folders requiring administrator permission, and paths containing unusual characters. A protected or complicated path can cause update and script problems later.

Alternative: Install the Flutter SDK Manually

If you prefer a manual installation, download the latest stable Windows SDK bundle from Flutter's official installation page. Extract the complete flutter directory into a user-writable development folder.

Add the SDK's bin folder to your user PATH. For example:

C:\src\flutter\bin

To edit PATH in Windows 11:

Open System > About.
Select Advanced system settings.
Open Environment Variables.
Under your user variables, edit Path.
Add the Flutter bin directory.
Confirm the dialogs and reopen every terminal and IDE.

Do not add only the parent flutter directory. PATH must point to its bin directory.

Step 3: Verify Flutter and Dart

Open a new PowerShell window and run:

where.exe flutter
flutter --version
dart --version
flutter doctor -v

where.exe flutter shows which Flutter executable Windows is using. This is especially useful if an older SDK was previously installed. The first Flutter command may download required components, so allow it to finish before assuming it has frozen.

flutter doctor -v reports the state of each development target. At this point, Android warnings are expected if Android Studio and its SDK tools have not been configured yet.

Step 4: Install Android Studio and SDK Components

Install the latest stable Android Studio from the official Android Developers website. Open Android Studio and launch SDK Manager from the welcome screen or the Tools menu.

Install or update the Android platform required by the current Flutter and Google Play documentation. Under SDK Tools, verify these components:

Android SDK Build-Tools
Android SDK Command-line Tools
Android SDK Platform-Tools
Android Emulator
CMake and NDK when your project or plugins require native builds

Installing the Flutter plugin inside Android Studio does not install the Flutter SDK. Android Studio and the Flutter SDK must both point to valid installations.

Step 5: Accept Android SDK Licenses

Open a fresh PowerShell window and run:

flutter doctor --android-licenses

Read each license and accept the ones required for Android development. Then run:

flutter doctor -v

If the license command reports that the Android license status is unknown, return to Android Studio's SDK Manager and confirm that Android SDK Command-line Tools is installed.

Step 6: Configure an Android Emulator

In Android Studio, open Device Manager and create a virtual device. Select a phone profile, choose a compatible Android system image, enable hardware graphics acceleration when available, and start the emulator.

Verify that Flutter can see it:

flutter emulators
flutter devices

At least one result should identify its platform as Android. If the emulator is extremely slow or fails to start, verify that virtualization support is enabled and that Android Studio's emulator components are current.

Step 7: Connect a Physical Android Phone

Real-device testing is essential before release. Enable Developer Options and USB debugging on your phone, connect it with a data-capable cable, and approve the computer's RSA fingerprint.

adb devices -l
flutter devices

If the phone is missing or unauthorized, use the complete Android phone to Flutter connection guide. It covers Windows drivers, USB cables, ADB authorization, Wi-Fi pairing, and device selection.

Step 8: Create and Run a Test Project

Create a project from a development folder, not inside the Flutter SDK directory:

flutter create izz_first_app
cd izz_first_app
flutter analyze
flutter test
flutter run

If several targets are connected, identify the Android device and run:

flutter run -d DEVICE_ID

A successful launch proves that Flutter, Dart, Android SDK tools, Gradle, and the selected device can work together. Continue with the Flutter Android App Development Guide to structure features, add tests, profile performance, and prepare releases.

Fix “Flutter Is Not Recognized”

If PowerShell reports that flutter is not recognized:

Confirm that the Flutter SDK folder exists.
Confirm that the user PATH contains the SDK's bin directory.
Close and reopen PowerShell and VS Code.
Run where.exe flutter.
Remove stale PATH entries that point to Flutter installations you no longer use.

Do not repeatedly reinstall Flutter before checking PATH. Multiple SDK copies often make diagnosis harder because the terminal and editor may use different versions.

Fix Protected-Folder and Permission Errors

If Flutter says the SDK is installed in a protected location, move or reinstall it in a user-writable folder such as C:\src\flutter. Running every Flutter command as Administrator is not a good long-term fix because it can create files owned under inconsistent permissions.

After moving the SDK, update PATH, restart your tools, and confirm the active location with:

where.exe flutter
flutter doctor -v

Fix Java, Gradle, and Android License Problems

Android Studio includes a compatible Java runtime, and Flutter can normally use it. Problems often appear when Windows has several old JDK installations or when environment variables force Flutter to use the wrong one.

Start by reviewing the Java path shown in flutter doctor -v. Avoid randomly downgrading Java, Gradle, Kotlin, or the Android Gradle Plugin. Version changes should follow the error evidence and current Flutter migration guidance. For project-specific failures, see How to Fix Flutter Gradle Build Errors.

Final Windows 11 Installation Checklist

Git works from a new terminal.
Flutter is stored in a user-writable folder.
The Flutter bin directory is in user PATH.
flutter --version and dart --version work.
Android Studio and required SDK tools are installed.
Android SDK licenses are accepted.
flutter doctor -v shows a usable Android toolchain.
flutter devices lists an Android emulator or physical phone.
A new project passes flutter analyze and launches successfully.

Once your development setup is stable, avoid upgrading the SDK immediately before an important release. Commit your project first, read the relevant release notes, and test the upgrade in a controlled branch. When the app is ready for distribution, follow How to Prepare a Flutter App for Google Play Store.

Official Flutter References

Flutter, Android Studio, and Android SDK requirements change over time. This guide was reviewed against the official Flutter documentation available in August 2026.