# SimFlow Installation

Source: https://help.sim-flow.com/installation/windows/simflow-installation
Last updated: 2026-10-03

## Introduction

The SimFlow installation package for Windows OS comes with an automatic installer. It uses a standard wizard setup and includes all necessary components (OpenFOAM, ParaView and MS-MPI) to run CFD simulations.

Installing SimFlow:

1. [Download SimFlow 5.1](https://sim-flow.com/download-simflow)
2. Run the installer and follow the installation wizard

SimFlow default installation path:
`C:\Program Files\SimFlow\SimFlow-5.1`

[Video](https://help.sim-flow.com/installation/windows/images/installation-on-windows.mp4)

## SimFlow Installation Package

The SimFlow installation package for Windows OS includes all the necessary components to run CFD simulations, including OpenFOAM, ParaView, and MS-MPI.

The following components will be installed on your computer:

1. **SimFlow 5.1**
   Desktop CFD Simulation Software
2. **OpenFOAM 2512** (CFD Engine)
   Open-source CFD software package with an extensive library of solvers and utilities used as a SimFlow backend
3. **ParaView 5.12.0** (Postprocessing Tool)
   Open-source application for interactive visualization of simulation results integrated with SimFlow
4. **Microsoft MPI 10.1.3** (Parallel Computation)
   MS-MPI (Microsoft Message Passing Interface) is a standard for developing and running parallel applications on the Windows platform

## OpenFOAM

**What is OpenFOAM?**
OpenFOAM is a well-known open-source code for CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulations. It provides a comprehensive set of tools and solvers for modeling and analyzing various fluid flow phenomena. SimFlow utilizes OpenFOAM as its core CFD engine.

### Installing OpenFOAM

The SimFlow installation package for Windows includes OpenFOAM, which will be automatically installed. SimFlow version 5.1 incorporates OpenFOAM 2512.

OpenFOAM default installation path:
`C:\Program Files\SimFlow\OpenFOAM-2512`

![of installation](https://help.sim-flow.com/installation/windows/images/of-installation.png)

## ParaView

**What is ParaView?**
ParaView is open-source software designed for the postprocessing of simulation results. It supports both typical and advanced postprocessing tasks.

### Installing ParaView

The SimFlow installation package for Windows includes ParaView, which will be automatically installed. SimFlow version 5.1 incorporates ParaView 5.12.

ParaView default installation path:
`C:\Program Files\SimFlow\ParaView-5.12`

![pv installation](https://help.sim-flow.com/installation/windows/images/pv-installation.png)

## MS-MPI

**What is MS-MPI?**
MS-MPI (Microsoft Message Passing Interface) is a communication protocol for parallel computing. It is essential for parallel processing across multiple processors, enabling faster meshing and computing processes. SimFlow version 5.1 incorporates MS-MPI 10.1.3.

### Installing MS-MPI

Once the SimFlow installation process is complete, you will be asked to install MS-MPI. Click `Finish` and follow the instructions in the MS-MPI installation wizard.

![7 installation completed](https://help.sim-flow.com/installation/windows/images/7-installation-completed.png)

Follow the prompts to complete the automatic installation of MS-MPI.

![8 mpi installation](https://help.sim-flow.com/installation/windows/images/8-mpi-installation.png)

### MS-MPI Already Installed - Warning

If a current or newer version of MS-MPI is already installed on your system, a warning notification window will pop up. This notification merely informs that the MPI installation failed because a current or newer version is already in place. At this point, no additional actions are necessary as everything is set up correctly.

![9 mpi error code 50](https://help.sim-flow.com/installation/windows/images/9-mpi-error-code-50.png)

### MS-MPI - Manual Installation

You may also download and install the latest MS-MPI package manually from the following link:
[https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=105289](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=105289)