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How to Install Gradle on Windows

Install Gradle on Windows so you can run gradle commands, create new builds, and work on projects that do not already ship with the Gradle Wrapper.

Vishal Hulawale
Vishal Hulawale·
April 2026·5 min read

Supported Versions

9.4.1

Official Source

gradle.org (official)

Environment Setup

1 environment variable + 1 PATH entry

Verify Step

gradle -v

DevTools Installer is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the publisher of Gradle. All product names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners. Downloads are sourced directly from the official publisher.

Install With DevTools Installer

Use this path if you want DevTools Installer to download the official package and handle the Windows setup for you.

  1. 1Open DevTools Installer.
  2. 2In Package Managers, select "Gradle".
  3. 3Click "Install Selected".
  4. 4Let the installer download the official zip, extract it, set GRADLE_HOME, and add to PATH.
  5. 5Open a new terminal window after the install finishes.
  6. 6Run to confirm Gradle starts and can see a supported JDK.

Download Source

DevTools Installer downloads from the official publisher:

https://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-9.4.1-bin.zip

PATH & Environment Variables

DevTools Installer sets the following automatically:

Environment variables

GRADLE_HOME=C:\Program Files\Gradle\gradle-9.4.1

PATH entries

%GRADLE_HOME%\bin

Verification

DevTools Installer verifies the install by running:

gradle -v

Expected output: Gradle 9.4.1

Manual Installation Steps

Use these steps if you want to run the installer yourself and apply the Windows PATH or environment changes manually.

  1. 1Install JDK 17 or newer first. Gradle 9.x requires it.
  2. 2Download the official zip from https://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-9.4.1-bin.zip
  3. 3Extract the archive to .
  4. 4Set GRADLE_HOME to .
  5. 5Add to your system PATH.
  6. 6Open a new terminal and run .

Need to upgrade, downgrade, or remove Gradle?

DevTools Installer can also upgrade Gradle to a newer version, roll back to an older one, or cleanly uninstall it — including PATH entries and environment variables. No manual cleanup required.

What Is Gradle Used For?

  • Building Android applications — Android Studio uses Gradle as its default build system.
  • Compiling and packaging Java, Kotlin, or Groovy projects with flexible dependency management.
  • Multi-project builds in monorepos where sub-projects have interdependencies.
  • Custom build logic using Groovy or Kotlin DSL scripts for specialized workflows.
  • Running automated tests and generating code-coverage reports as part of the build lifecycle.

Common Issues And Fixes

Check the problem and the exact fix before you reinstall anything. Some guides also include the reason the issue happens.

Problem

"gradle" is not recognized as a command

Exact fix

Verify GRADLE_HOME is set correctly and %GRADLE_HOME%\bin is in PATH. Open a new terminal after making changes.

Problem

Gradle reports "Could not determine Java version"

Exact fix

Gradle requires a JDK. Ensure JAVA_HOME points to a valid JDK directory and run "java -version" to confirm. Gradle 9.x requires JDK 17 or newer.

Problem

Build is extremely slow on first run

Exact fix

Gradle downloads dependencies and builds a daemon process on the first run. Subsequent builds are much faster. Enable the Gradle daemon (on by default since 3.0) and use "gradle --build-cache" for incremental builds.

Problem

Wrapper version conflict — "gradlew" uses a different version than globally installed Gradle

Exact fix

Most projects include a Gradle Wrapper (gradlew / gradlew.bat). Always use the wrapper for project builds to match the intended version. The global install is useful for creating new projects.

Tips for Gradle

  • ✓Like Maven, Gradle requires a JDK. Install Java first via DevTools Installer.
  • ✓For existing projects, use the Gradle Wrapper (gradlew.bat) instead of the global installation to ensure version consistency.
  • ✓Gradle 9.x offers significant performance improvements over 8.x including configuration caching and faster dependency resolution.
  • ✓Use "gradle tasks" to list all available tasks in a project and "gradle dependencies" to inspect the dependency tree.

Related Guides

Java (JDK)

Install a JDK on Windows so Java apps, build tools, Android Studio, and IDEs can find java, javac, and JAVA_HOME.

Apache Maven

Install Maven on Windows so you can build pom.xml projects, resolve dependencies, and run Maven commands from any terminal.

IntelliJ IDEA

Install IntelliJ IDEA on Windows if you want a full Java and Kotlin IDE with built-in Maven, Gradle, testing, and debugging support.

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