This guide installs PlotJuggler 4.0.0 on Windows, the current release, and then notes the PlotJuggler 3 installer for readers who specifically need the classic PJ3 line — for example for ROS-related workflows described in our ROS 2 install guide. Everything here starts from the official GitHub release files linked on the Download page. For the full set of platform guides, see the Install hub.
What you are installing
PlotJuggler 4.0.0 was released on 21 September 2026. The Windows asset is a single installer, PlotJuggler-4.0.0-Windows-x64.exe (123,170,335 bytes). According to the PJ4 documentation, it installs for the current user and no administrator rights are needed. There is no portable Windows .zip in the 4.0.0 release, and no separate 32-bit build — the installer is x64 only. PlotJuggler is open source under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL-2.0) and is maintained by Davide Faconti.
Step 1 — Download the PJ4 installer
- Open the Download page and use the PJ4 Windows button, which links directly to the official file
PlotJuggler-4.0.0-Windows-x64.exeon GitHub Releases. - Save the file to a folder you can find again, such as your Downloads folder.
- Do not rename the file before verifying it — the checksum step below compares the file exactly as downloaded.
Step 2 — Verify the checksum (recommended)
GitHub publishes a SHA-256 digest for every release asset, and the Download page reproduces the full hash table. For PJ4 4.0.0 Windows, the expected SHA-256 begins 701b3deb and ends a407. Verifying takes under a minute:
- Open PowerShell in the folder containing the downloaded file.
- Run:
Get-FileHash .\PlotJuggler-4.0.0-Windows-x64.exe -Algorithm SHA256 - Compare the full output character by character with the value in the hash table on the Download page. If it differs, delete the file and download it again — do not run it.
Step 3 — Run the installer
- Double-click
PlotJuggler-4.0.0-Windows-x64.exe. - Because the install is per-user, you should not be asked for an administrator password. If your workplace machine blocks per-user installers by policy, that is a local IT restriction, not a PlotJuggler requirement.
- Follow the installer prompts and accept the default install location unless you have a specific reason to change it.
- Finish the wizard, leaving any “launch” option selected if offered.
Step 4 — First launch
On first launch you should see the PlotJuggler 4 main window: an empty plotting area ready for data. Good first checks are to open the application menus, confirm the Extensions Marketplace entry is present (File → Marketplace in PJ4), and load a small CSV file by dragging it into the window to confirm the program reads data correctly. PJ4 supports CSV, MCAP, Parquet, PX4 ULog and other formats, plus live streams such as ROS 2, MQTT, WebSocket and UDP. If the window opens and a test file plots, the installation is complete.
Because the install is per-user, PlotJuggler is installed under your own user account rather than system-wide. It will not appear for other user accounts on the same machine, and removing it is done from your own account through Windows Settings → Apps. Our install troubleshooting guide covers the “I installed it but cannot find it” case in more detail.
Installing PJ3 on Windows instead
If a tutorial, course or ROS workflow explicitly assumes PlotJuggler 3, install the PJ3 line instead. The last PJ3 release is 3.17.2 (11 May 2026), with the Windows asset PlotJuggler-3.17.2-Windows-x64.exe (84,425,721 bytes), also linked from the Download page with its GitHub SHA-256. The steps are the same: download from the official release, verify the checksum, run the installer. Keep the two lines separate in your mind — PJ4 guides, layouts and marketplace extensions should not be assumed to apply unchanged to PJ3, and vice versa.
Next steps
- Browse all platform guides on the Install hub.
- Using Ubuntu as well? Follow the Ubuntu install guide.
- Something failed? Work through the install troubleshooting guide before reinstalling.