Use this command to install llama.cpp with WinGet:
winget install --id=ggml.llamacpp -e
llama.cpp is a high-performance inference library for Large Language Models (LLMs) implemented in C/C++. Designed to enable efficient and scalable LLM deployment across various hardware architectures, it supports minimal setup while maintaining state-of-the-art performance.
Key Features:
Multi-bit quantization support (1.5-bit, 2-bit, up to 8-bit) for optimized memory usage and faster inference.
GPU acceleration via CUDA, HIP (for AMD GPUs), and MUSA (Moore Threads GPUs).
CPU optimizations leveraging ARM NEON, Apple's Accelerate framework, and x86 instruction sets (AVX, AVX2, AVX512, AMX).
Support for a wide range of models, including LLaMA, Mistral, Falcon, Alpaca, and others.
Minimal runtime dependencies, ensuring ease of deployment.
Hybrid CPU-GPU inference to handle models larger than available GPU memory.
Audience & Benefit:
Ideal for developers and researchers seeking a lightweight yet powerful solution for integrating LLM capabilities into applications. llama.cpp enables seamless deployment across diverse hardware, from mobile devices to data centers, with minimal resource overhead. Its extensive model support and optimization features make it a versatile tool for advancing AI applications efficiently.
Build from source by cloning this repository - check out our build guide
Once installed:
# Download and run a model directly from Hugging Face
llama cli -hf ggml-org/Qwen3.5-0.8B-GGUF
# Launch OpenAI-compatible API server
llama serve -hf ggml-org/Qwen3.5-0.8B-GGUF
<img width="1310" height="888" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/88726b48-1713-48aa-a525-95a02e78afc4" />
<i>VLM session with <b>llama cli</b></i>
<img width="1392" height="958" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/b402f972-2e32-4def-8771-8d849f08cf2e" />
<i>Built-in web UI against <b>llama serve</b></i>
Description
The main goal of llama.cpp is to enable LLM (and VLM) inference with minimal setup and state-of-the-art performance on
a wide range of hardware - locally and in the cloud.
Plain C/C++ implementation without any dependencies
Apple silicon is a first-class citizen - optimized via ARM NEON, Accelerate and Metal frameworks
AVX, AVX2, AVX512 and AMX support for x86 architectures
RVV, ZVFH, ZFH, ZICBOP and ZIHINTPAUSE support for RISC-V architectures
1.5-bit, 2-bit, 3-bit, 4-bit, 5-bit, 6-bit, and 8-bit integer quantization for faster inference and reduced memory use
Custom CUDA kernels for running LLMs on NVIDIA GPUs (support for AMD GPUs via HIP and Moore Threads GPUs via MUSA)
Vulkan and SYCL backend support
CPU+GPU hybrid inference to partially accelerate models larger than the total VRAM capacity
The llama.cpp project is build on top of the ggml library.