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← Automate the boring stuff · Mission 2 of 8

Your own Zapier: automate boring jobs on your own PC, free

n8n is a drag-and-drop automation builder, like Zapier, that runs on your own computer. You'll build a real one: every morning, the BBC tech stories that mention AI land in a spreadsheet. No account, no API keys.

45 minBeginnerTools: FreeStep 1 free
Tested 9 Oct 2026 · n8n 2.42.5, Node.js 24.21.0 LTS, Windows 11
n8n running on your own PCa visual workflow builder you control
A working automation that reads BBC tech news, keeps the AI stories and saves them as a spreadsheet
That automation running on a schedule by itself, with no clicking
  • The skills to point it at any feed and any keyword you care about, and push results to your phone
Before you start
  • About 4GB of free disk space. n8n is a big download, around 3.5GB in total.
  • Node.js 24 (step 1 checks this for you)
  • Time for the first start: 10 to 15 minutes while n8n downloads. Later starts take a few minutes. New to the terminal? Do the Terminal survival kit first.
01/05Check you have the right Node.js0 done
STEP 01 of 05~5 min

Check you have the right Node.js

n8n is built on Node.js, and it's fussy about the version. This one check saves you a long failed install.

  1. CarefulBefore you start: the first npx n8n downloads about 3.5GB and takes 10 to 15 minutes. Start it when you've got a cup of tea to make, not when you're in a hurry. Already use Docker Desktop? n8n's Docker guide ↗ replaces steps 1 and 2; the rest of this mission works the same.

  2. Open PowerShell (Mac: Terminal) and run:

    Terminal
    node --version
    Output
    v24.21.0

  3. You want a version starting with v24. n8n's install guide ↗ supports Node.js 20.19 up to 24.x, and 24 is the current long-term support (LTS) version.

  4. No Node.js at all, or the wrong version? Install Node 24 LTS:

    Windows (asks for admin permission)
    winget install --id OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS -e
    Mac (Homebrew)
    brew install node@24
brew link --overwrite --force node@24

  5. No Homebrew, or on Linux? Download the v24 LTS installer from nodejs.org ↗. Then close the terminal, open a new one and run node --version again.

    CarefulNewer isn't better here. On Node 26, the install runs for about 12 minutes and then fails: n8n includes a Kafka add-on with no ready-made Windows build for Node 26 yet, so npm tries to compile it from source and gives up. On Node 24 it installs first time.
✓
Checkpointnode --version prints a version starting with v24.
If it breaksIt says v26 (or anything other than v24) + 1 more
It says v26 (or anything other than v24)
On Windows, uninstall that Node.js from Settings, Apps, then install the LTS version with the winget command above. On a Mac, run the two brew commands above. Open a fresh terminal afterwards.
'node' is not recognised
Close every terminal window and open a new one. New windows pick up newly installed programs. If it still fails, restart the PC.
Still stuck? Ask the community
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