Install Oracle 26ai Free on Windows 11: Installer or Docker (2026)

Published Oct 2026 · 9 min read

Oracle AI Database 26ai Free now runs on Windows in two ways: a native Windows installer, and the official container image under Docker Desktop. Most guides cover only one of them, and many never mention the catch that trips up students: the native installer does not support Windows Home. Most laptops ship with Home.

This guide covers both routes on Windows 11, using release 23.26.3, the current Free download at the time of writing. It shows how to connect with SQL*Plus, SQLcl and SQL Developer, what to do in your first ten minutes, and how to fix the errors people actually hit. Pick your route from the table, then follow only that section.

Which route should you choose?

	Native Windows installer	Docker Desktop container
Windows 11 Home	Not supported	Works (WSL 2 backend)
Windows 11 Pro / Enterprise	Supported	Works
Download	oracle-ai-database-free-26ai-23.26.3.windows.x64.zip, about 1.4 GB	Full image about 3.45 GB, Lite image about 854 MB
Feels like	A Windows program with Windows services	A Linux database you start and stop with one command
Best for	Learners who want everything on Windows	Home users, developers, and anyone who wants a disposable lab

Not sure which edition you have? Run this in PowerShell:

(Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem).Caption

If it says Home, go straight to Route B.

Route A: the native Windows installer

Step 1: check the prerequisites

The installer runs its own prerequisite checks. Clearing these four items first saves a failed run:

• A supported 64-bit edition of Windows: Pro or Enterprise, not Home.
• You are logged in as a user who is a direct member of the local Administrators group. Membership through another group is not enough.
• No ORACLE_HOME or TNS_ADMIN system environment variable is set. Clearing them in one Command Prompt window does not count; they must be removed at system level.
• No existing Oracle Database Free or Express Edition service on the machine.

# both should print nothing
[Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('ORACLE_HOME','Machine')
[Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('TNS_ADMIN','Machine')

# any existing Oracle services?
Get-Service *Oracle* | Format-Table Name, Status, StartType

Step 2: download and extract

Download the Windows (64-bit) package, oracle-ai-database-free-26ai-23.26.3.windows.x64.zip, from Oracle's AI Database Free download page. Extract it to a temporary folder such as C:\free_temp. Keep the extract path short and free of spaces.

Step 3: run the installer

Right-click setup.exe and choose Run as administrator. The wizard has seven screens:

1. Welcome: click Next.
2. License Agreement: accept and click Next.
3. Prerequisite Checks: if anything fails here, cancel, fix it using Step 1, and start again.
4. Destination Folder: the default is C:\app\<username>\product\26ai. Keep it, or click Change and type a path to a folder that does not exist yet. Do not use a path with spaces, and do not use the "Create New Folder" button.
5. Oracle AI Database Information: enter one password. It becomes the password for SYS, SYSTEM and PDBADMIN, so make it strong and write it down.
6. Summary: review and click Install.
7. Installed Successfully: note the connection strings shown for the container database and the pluggable database, then click Finish.

The installer always creates a database with the SID FREE and a pluggable database called FREEPDB1, with the listener on port 1521.

Optional: silent installation

For repeatable lab builds, edit response\FREEInstall.rsp in the extracted folder: INSTALLDIR, PASSWORD, LISTENER_PORT (0 means pick a free port starting at 1521) and CHAR_SET (default AL32UTF8). Then run from an elevated prompt:

c:\free_temp> setup.exe /s /v"RSP_FILE=c:\free_temp\response\FREEInstall.rsp" /v"/L*v c:\free_temp\setup.log" /v"/qn"

Check setup.log for "Installation success or error status: 0". Delete the response file afterwards, because it contains your password in plain text.

Where everything lives

What	Path (under the install folder)
Oracle home (sqlplus.exe and network files)	dbhomeFree
Datafiles	oradata\Free
Alert log	diag\rdbms\free\free\trace\alert_free.log
Database creation log	cfgtoollogs\dbca\Free\Free.log
Software install logs	%ProgramFiles%\Oracle\Inventory\logs

Route B: Docker Desktop (works on Windows 11 Home)

Step 1: install WSL 2 and Docker Desktop

From an administrator PowerShell window, install the Windows Subsystem for Linux, restart when asked, then install Docker Desktop and leave the default WSL 2 backend selected.

wsl --install
wsl --status          # confirm the default version is 2 after the restart

Oracle's container needs at least 2 GB of memory and 13 GB of free container storage. On a laptop with 8 GB of RAM, cap the memory WSL may take, so Windows stays responsive. Put this in %UserProfile%\.wslconfig, then run wsl --shutdown and restart Docker Desktop:

[wsl2]
memory=4GB

Step 2: pull and run the 26ai Free container

The official image comes from Oracle's Container Registry, and no registry login is needed. A named volume keeps your database when the container is removed, so you never lose your lab work by accident. In PowerShell:

docker pull container-registry.oracle.com/database/free:latest

docker volume create oracle-free-data

docker run -d --name oracle-free `
  -p 1521:1521 `
  -e ORACLE_PWD="Lab#Pass2026" `
  -v oracle-free-data:/opt/oracle/oradata `
  container-registry.oracle.com/database/free:latest

docker logs -f oracle-free     # wait for: DATABASE IS READY TO USE!

The image contains a prebuilt database, so once the download finishes it is usually ready within a minute. ORACLE_PWD sets the password for SYS, SYSTEM and PDBADMIN. Passing it as an environment variable is fine for a personal lab, but anyone who can run docker inspect on your machine can read it. Oracle's own guide uses a Podman secret on shared hosts.

For a pinned, repeatable lab, replace latest with the version tag 23.26.3.0. The Lite image (latest-lite) is about a quarter of the size, but it leaves out RMAN, Data Pump, True Cache and several other features. If you are learning DBA work, use the Full image.

Step 3: day-to-day container commands

docker exec -it oracle-free sqlplus / as sysdba     # SQL*Plus inside the container
docker stop oracle-free                              # shut down; data stays in the volume
docker start oracle-free                             # start again
docker exec oracle-free /opt/oracle/setPassword.sh "New#Pass2026"   # change SYS/SYSTEM/PDBADMIN password

Removing the container with docker rm keeps the volume. Only docker volume rm oracle-free-data deletes the database itself.

Connect to the database

Whichever route you chose, connection details are the same. Use the PDB for normal work and the CDB root only for administration.

Target	Host	Port	Service name	User
Pluggable database (daily work)	localhost	1521	FREEPDB1	PDBADMIN or your own user
Container root (administration)	localhost	1521	FREE	SYS as SYSDBA

sqlplus sys@localhost:1521/FREE as sysdba
sqlplus pdbadmin@localhost:1521/FREEPDB1

sql pdbadmin@localhost:1521/FREEPDB1        # SQLcl, if installed

SQL*Plus is included with the native install. On the Docker route, run it inside the container as shown above, or install SQLcl or SQL Developer on Windows. Neither is bundled with Free; both are separate free downloads. In SQL Developer, create a connection with username pdbadmin, hostname localhost, port 1521, and Service name (not SID) FREEPDB1.

Your first ten minutes on 26ai

Do not build your labs as SYS. Create your own user in the PDB, then try a few 26ai features to confirm you really are on the new release:

-- as SYS in the root
SELECT banner_full FROM v$version;
SHOW PDBS

ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER = FREEPDB1;
CREATE USER labuser IDENTIFIED BY "Lab#Pass2026" QUOTA UNLIMITED ON users;
GRANT DB_DEVELOPER_ROLE TO labuser;

-- as labuser@localhost:1521/FREEPDB1
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS tasks (
  id    NUMBER GENERATED ALWAYS AS IDENTITY PRIMARY KEY,
  title VARCHAR2(100),
  done  BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE
);
INSERT INTO tasks (title) VALUES ('Install Oracle 26ai Free');
UPDATE tasks SET done = TRUE WHERE id = 1;
COMMIT;
SELECT title, done FROM tasks;
SELECT SYSDATE;              -- no FROM DUAL needed in 26ai

If every statement runs, your lab is ready. For a list of real exercises to work through next, see our 25 Oracle 26ai interview scenarios. Each one comes with commands you can run on this database.

Troubleshooting the errors people actually hit

Symptom	Cause and fix
Installer prerequisite check fails on edition	Windows Home is not supported by the native installer. Use Route B.
Prerequisite check fails on ORACLE_HOME or TNS_ADMIN	Remove both from System Properties → Environment Variables (system level), then open a new installer window.
"Destination folder is under a directory that is modifiable by Authenticated users"	Use the default path or a new folder path, or allow the installer to modify permissions. For silent installs, set MODIFY_DIRECTORY_PERMISSIONS=TRUE.
Installer refuses because a database service exists	An old Express Edition or Free install is present. Uninstall it first; Data Pump can carry its data across afterwards.
ORA-12514: listener does not currently know of service	Wrong service name, or the database is still starting. Use FREEPDB1 for the PDB or FREE for the root. In Docker, wait for "DATABASE IS READY TO USE!".
ORA-12541: no listener / connection refused	The service or container is not running, or the port is not mapped. Check Get-Service *Oracle* or docker ps.
Port 1521 already in use	Docker: map another host port, -p 1522:1521, and connect to localhost:1522. Native: set LISTENER_PORT in the response file.
Container is very slow to start or exits	Check docker logs oracle-free. Make sure Docker has at least 2 GB of memory and 13 GB of free space. Mounting an empty host folder at /opt/oracle/oradata forces a brand-new database build, which takes ten minutes or more; a named volume avoids it.

What Free can and cannot do

Oracle AI Database 26ai Free supports up to 2 CPUs for foreground processes, 2 GB of RAM for SGA and PGA combined, and 12 GB of user data. It gets no patches and no Oracle Support, and you cannot plug a Free PDB into an Enterprise Edition CDB or the other way round. For learning, it is excellent: multitenant, the 26ai SQL and security features, AI Vector Search and, on the Full image, RMAN all work. Multi-node features such as RAC need a proper Linux lab.

Common mistakes

• Connecting with SID FREEPDB1. FREEPDB1 is a service name. In SQL Developer, pick "Service name", not "SID".
• Building everything as SYS in the root. Create a user in FREEPDB1 and work there, as you would at a job.
• Running the container without a volume. Remove the container and the database goes with it.
• Choosing the Lite image for DBA practice. No RMAN and no Data Pump means half the DBA syllabus is missing.

FAQ

Can I install Oracle 26ai Free on Windows 11 Home?

Not with the native installer: Oracle lists Windows Home as unsupported. You can still run 26ai Free on Windows 11 Home with Docker Desktop and the WSL 2 backend, which is Route B in this guide.

What are the default username and password?

There is no default password. You choose one during installation, or with ORACLE_PWD in Docker, and it is set for SYS, SYSTEM and PDBADMIN. If you skip ORACLE_PWD in Docker, a random password is generated. Reset it with setPassword.sh.

Is Oracle AI Database 26ai Free really free?

Yes. There is no licence cost, and Oracle does not restrict where it is deployed. It is unsupported and receives no patches, including security patches, so Oracle recommends a supported edition for production.

Native installer or Docker: which is better for learning?

For DBA learning, either works if your Windows edition allows it. Docker makes it easy to throw a broken lab away and start fresh in a minute. The native install feels more like a traditional server, with Windows services. If you are on Windows Home, Docker is the only option.

Next step

A running database is the starting line. What turns it into job-ready skill is working through real administration tasks: backups, recovery, multitenant, tuning and the 26ai features. Our live Oracle 26ai DBA training takes you through all of them over 45 sessions with a production DBA. The Oracle 26ai recorded course covers the same ground at your own pace. Working towards certification? Our 1Z0-183 exam study guide maps the syllabus to labs you can run on this database. For the full installation reference, see Oracle's Oracle AI Database Free Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows.