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← Own your AI · Mission 6 of 31

Make AI images on an ordinary laptop, no graphics card

Type a sentence, get a picture in about a second. FastSD CPU runs image models on the laptop you already own: no NVIDIA card, no account, no credits, and your prompts never leave your machine.

30 minBeginnerTools: FreeStep 1 free
Tested 8 Oct 2026 · FastSD CPU v1.0.0 beta 510, OpenVINO 2026.2, SD Turbo + SDXS models, Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, 16GB, Windows 11
Pictures in about a second on an Intel Core Ultra laptop, with measured timings for slower machines too
Your own image generator in a browser tab, served from your laptop and free forever
Two recipes worth keeping20 thumbnail variations in one click, and restyling your own photos
  • The right mode for your laptop, and what the free models are allowed for
Before you start
  • 8GB of RAM minimum, 16GB recommended. Expect it to use 4.5 to 6GB while it works.
  • About 5GB of free disk for the app, plus 3-5GB per model
  • Python and uv installed (step 1 shows how). New to installing from GitHub? Do Level 0 first.
01/06Check Python and uv are ready0 done
STEP 01 of 06~5 min

Check Python and uv are ready

The installer needs both. Checking first saves a confusing error later.

  1. FastSD CPU is a free, open-source app (rupeshs/fastsdcpu ↗, MIT licence) that runs Stable Diffusion style models on a normal processor. Its installer uses two tools: Python and uv (a fast Python package manager).

  2. Open PowerShell and run:

    Terminal
    python --version
uv --version
    Output
    Python 3.13.5
uv 0.11.9 (7829a03b6 2026-05-05 x86_64-pc-windows-msvc)

  3. Any recent Python works for this check. The installer downloads its own copy of Python 3.11 for the app, so it won't touch yours.

  4. Missing uv? This is the official one-line install. It installs for your user only, so no admin prompt:

    Windows
    powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"
    Mac / Linux
    curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
✓
CheckpointBoth commands print a version number.
If it breaks'python' is not recognised + 1 more
'python' is not recognised
Install Python from python.org/downloads ↗ and tick Add python.exe to PATH on the first screen. Then open a new PowerShell window.
'uv' is not recognised straight after installing it
Close PowerShell and open a new window. Only new windows pick up the change.
Still stuck? Ask the community
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