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📘 Step-By-Step Guide to Run ChatGPT on a Local PC (Windows & macOS)

Updated: Aug 31


Step-By-Step Guide to Run ChatGPT on a Local PC (Windows & macOS)

📘 Step-By-Step Guide to Run ChatGPT on a Local PC (Windows & macOS)


✨ Introduction


AI tools like ChatGPT are revolutionising the way we work, learn, and create. While most users interact with ChatGPT via the cloud (e.g., OpenAI’s website), many tech enthusiasts and developers prefer to run ChatGPT locally on their personal computer.

Running ChatGPT locally gives you:

✅ More control over data privacy

✅ Offline access (depending on model)

✅ Ability to fine-tune or experiment with open-source alternatives

✅ Faster prototyping for developers

In this article, I’ll walk you through a Step-By-Step Guide to Run ChatGPT on a Local PC Windows 💻 and/or macOS 🍎 systems.


🛠️ Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have the following installed:

🔹 Python (3.9 or above) – Required to run AI frameworks

🔹 Git – To clone repositories

🔹 Node.js & npm (optional) – For running web-based UI

🔹 A GPU (NVIDIA recommended) – For faster inference (optional, CPU also works)

🔹 Hugging Face Account – To download open-source GPT models



💻 Step-by-Step Guide for Windows


1️⃣ Install Python & Git

  • Download Python from python.org.

  • During installation, check ✅ "Add Python to PATH".

  • Install Git from git-scm.com.


2️⃣ Set Up Virtual Environment


3️⃣ Install Required Libraries


4️⃣ Download ChatGPT Model (via Hugging Face)


➡️ Enter your Hugging Face token. Then download a GPT-based model like:


5️⃣ Run a Test Chat Session

🎉 You now have ChatGPT running locally on Windows!



🍎 Step-by-Step Guide for macOS

1️⃣ Install Homebrew (if not installed)

2️⃣ Install Python & Git

3️⃣ Set Up Virtual Environment

4️⃣ Install Required Libraries

5️⃣ Download & Run ChatGPT Model

✅ Now ChatGPT is up and running on macOS too!



🛑 Common Errors & Troubleshooting


⚡ Error 1: pip not recognized (Windows)

👉 Cause: Python PATH not added during installation.

✅ Fix: Reinstall Python and check "Add to PATH" option.


⚡ Error 2: torch installation fails

👉 Cause: Wrong version of Python or no GPU drivers.

✅ Fix:

  • Use Python 3.9–3.11 (recommended).

  • For GPU: Install CUDA Toolkit + NVIDIA drivers.

  • For CPU-only install:


⚡ Error 3: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'transformers'

👉 Cause: Forgot to install Hugging Face Transformers.

✅ Fix:


⚡ Error 4: Model download too slow or fails

👉 Cause: Hugging Face servers timeout.

✅ Fix:

  • Check internet speed.

  • Use a download manager (git lfs for large files).

  • Try a smaller model like gpt2.


⚡ Error 5: MemoryError / Out of RAM

👉 Cause: Large models require more RAM/VRAM.

✅ Fix:

  • Use smaller models (DialoGPT-medium, gpt2).

  • Run with batch size = 1.

  • Upgrade RAM or use GPU.


⚡ Error 6: Mac M1/M2 performance is slow

👉 Cause: PyTorch is not optimised.

✅ Fix: Install Metal-optimized PyTorch:


🚀 Pro Tips

  • If you have an M1/M2 Mac, use Apple’s Metal acceleration for faster performance.

  • Try different models like gpt2, EleutherAI/gpt-j-6B, or LLaMA variants for better results.

  • For a web UI, explore tools like oobabooga/text-generation-webui.


📌 Conclusion

Running ChatGPT locally on your Windows or macOS machine gives you greater flexibility, privacy, and control. Whether you’re a developer, student, or AI enthusiast, this setup empowers you to build, test, and experiment with AI offline. 🚀


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