#Mihomo Party Install Guide for Windows 11 Beginners

Mihomo Party is a desktop client built around the mihomo proxy core. On Windows 11, the installation itself is usually straightforward; the parts that cause confusion are choosing the correct package, understanding what the first launch permission means, and distinguishing a successfully imported profile from a connection that is actually routing traffic. This walkthrough starts with an empty Windows 11 system and ends with a practical connectivity check.

##Before you download Mihomo Party

Before opening a download page, identify the type of Windows 11 machine in use. Most current desktop computers and laptops use the x64 architecture, sometimes shown as amd64. Windows 11 on ARM devices uses ARM64, while older 32-bit packages are generally not the right choice for a normal Windows 11 installation. You can check this under Settings → System → About → System type.

Choose a build that matches the machine rather than simply selecting the first filename that looks familiar. A graphical package is normally easier for a first-time user because it creates shortcuts, registers the application with Windows, and provides a settings interface. A portable archive can also work, but it may require manually extracting files and choosing a data directory. If both installer and portable packages are available, the installer is usually the less complicated starting point.

Mihomo Party is the interface; mihomo is the core that parses the YAML configuration, resolves DNS, applies rules, and establishes proxy connections. Installing the interface does not provide proxy nodes or a subscription by itself. A separate provider must supply a subscription URL or configuration file. This distinction matters because the application can open normally while still having no usable profile.

It is also worth closing other proxy clients temporarily before the first setup. Multiple clients can compete for the Windows system proxy setting, occupy the same local port, or create more than one virtual network adapter. This does not mean other clients must be uninstalled, but only one application should normally control the active system route at a time.

##Download the correct Windows build

Open the Clash Community download page and locate Mihomo Party under the Windows platform. Select the architecture that matches the result shown in Windows 11 system information. The filename may include terms such as Windows, x64, amd64, or arm64; naming can differ between releases, so the platform label is more reliable than guessing from the version number.

After the download finishes, check that the file is complete before launching it. An installer commonly uses an .exe extension, while a portable distribution may be a compressed archive such as .zip. If Windows displays a security warning, read the publisher and file location carefully. A warning can appear for newly released or less frequently downloaded software, but it should not be treated as a reason to ignore an unknown source.

1. Open the downloaded file from the browser's download list or from the Downloads folder.
2. If it is an archive, extract the complete folder to a stable location such as your user profile's Applications folder. Do not run the program from inside the compressed archive.
3. If it is an installer, follow the setup wizard and keep the default installation location unless there is a specific reason to change it.
4. Allow the installer to create a Start menu entry or desktop shortcut if convenient.
5. Finish the installation and launch Mihomo Party from the Start menu.

Windows may show a User Account Control prompt when the installer needs permission to write to the selected program directory. Confirm it only after checking that the application and publisher are the expected ones. The UAC prompt is not the same thing as enabling TUN mode: installation permission allows the program to be installed, while TUN permission later allows it to create a virtual network interface.

##Complete the first-launch setup

On the first launch, Mihomo Party may ask where its configuration and runtime data should be stored. Keep the default data directory unless the computer has a specific storage policy. The data directory is important because it may contain downloaded profiles, cache files, the mihomo core, logs, and geodata databases. Moving only the executable later can leave the application looking in the wrong working directory.

Look through the settings before importing a profile. The exact menu names can vary by release, but the important areas are usually profiles, general settings, system proxy, core management, DNS, and TUN. Make sure the mihomo core is available and selected. If the client reports that no core is installed, use its built-in core management function when available rather than copying an arbitrary executable into the application folder.

Do not enable every advanced feature immediately. For a first test, a normal system proxy is easier to observe because browsers and many desktop applications can use it without a virtual adapter. TUN mode is useful when applications do not honor the system proxy, but it introduces additional variables: administrator approval, virtual interface status, DNS interception, route conflicts, and possible interaction with other VPN software.

A normal local proxy address often uses 127.0.0.1 with a port such as 7890, but the actual value belongs to the current client configuration. Never assume that a port from another Clash client is still correct. Mihomo Party's dashboard or settings page is the authoritative place to find the active port.

##Import a subscription or local profile

A freshly installed client normally has no proxy nodes until a profile is added. A profile may be delivered as a subscription URL, a local YAML file, or another provider-specific format supported by the client. Use only a subscription issued by a provider you trust, and treat the URL as a private credential. Anyone who obtains a subscription URL may be able to retrieve its node list or consume the provider's traffic allowance.

In Mihomo Party, open the profile or subscription management area and choose the option for adding a remote profile. Paste the subscription URL into the URL field, assign a recognizable name, and save or fetch it. If the provider gave a local configuration file instead, use the local import option and select the file from File Explorer. Avoid pasting a subscription URL into a public issue, screenshot, chat room, or browser address bar that may be synchronized to another device.

1. Add the remote URL or select the local configuration file.
2. Wait for the fetch or parsing operation to finish.
3. Select the new profile so it becomes the active configuration.
4. Open the proxy or group view and confirm that nodes or policy groups are visible.
5. Select a valid node or a policy group with a selected node.
6. Start the mihomo core and enable the client connection.

The profile list and the proxy list answer different questions. Seeing a profile proves only that a file was imported. Seeing nodes proves that the configuration contains proxy definitions. Seeing a selected node proves that the policy group has an outbound choice. Only a successful request test proves that the selected path is usable.

mixed-port: 7890
mode: rule
allow-lan: false
log-level: info

The short fragment above illustrates common configuration concepts, not a complete profile. A usable configuration also needs proxy definitions, proxy groups, DNS settings where appropriate, and rules or a final policy. Do not replace a provider's complete configuration with this fragment.

##Perform the first connection test

This is the hands-on part of the setup. The goal is to test one controlled path before enabling TUN mode or changing DNS parameters.

1. Close other proxy or VPN clients that may control Windows networking.
2. Open Mihomo Party and activate the imported profile.
3. Choose a node directly, or choose a proxy group and confirm that it contains a usable node.
4. Set the client to Rule mode if the profile includes routing rules. For a temporary diagnostic, Global mode can help determine whether the node itself works, but it should not be treated as the permanent answer for every site.
5. Enable the Windows system proxy from Mihomo Party's main control or settings area.
6. Open a new browser window and visit a simple IP or connectivity check page. Compare the result with the normal network result, but do not rely on one website alone.
7. Return to Mihomo Party and inspect the connection or request log. A request should show the destination, the matched rule or policy, and the selected outbound path.
8. Test one domain expected to use the proxy and one domain expected to go direct. This verifies routing behavior rather than merely verifying that the client is open.

When the test succeeds, the request log should show activity and the browser should behave according to the selected route. A green tray icon or a running status alone is not enough: the core can be running while the browser bypasses it, the selected node is unavailable, or the active rule sends traffic directly.

After the system-proxy test is stable, TUN mode can be evaluated if required. TUN usually needs administrator permission because it creates or controls a virtual network interface. Enable it from the client's TUN settings, approve the Windows prompt, and wait for the interface to report a ready state. Then test again with the system proxy setting understood separately. TUN and system proxy are different capture methods; enabling both does not automatically improve routing and can make diagnosis harder.

##Understand common Windows 11 problems

The application opens, but no nodes appear. The profile may not have been fetched, the subscription may have expired, or the provider format may not match the selected import function. Refresh the profile, check the fetch result, and confirm that the active profile is the one just updated. If a remote URL requires authentication, obtain a new URL from the provider instead of repeatedly editing the client.

Nodes appear, but every request fails. Check whether a node is actually selected and whether its server, port, credentials, and transport parameters are complete. Try another node in the same group. If all nodes fail, inspect the core log for timeout, TLS, DNS, or authentication messages. A successful profile download does not prove that the remote proxy server is reachable.

The browser does not change after enabling the client. Verify the Windows system proxy status and confirm that the browser is not configured to ignore system settings. Also check whether another client immediately disabled the setting. A browser extension can have its own proxy configuration, so temporarily disable extension-level proxy control during the test.

Only some applications are routed. This is expected when using a system proxy. Applications that implement their own networking stack may ignore Windows proxy settings. TUN mode can capture more traffic, but it should be enabled only after checking for conflicts with antivirus network filters, corporate VPN software, virtualization tools, and other virtual adapters.

TUN fails to start. Run Mihomo Party with the permission it requests, check whether another VPN has already created a conflicting adapter, and restart the computer if Windows has left a stale adapter state. Do not repeatedly create virtual adapters without checking the client's adapter management page. If TUN starts but connectivity breaks, disable it and return to the simpler system-proxy test.

Domains resolve incorrectly or rules behave unexpectedly. The issue may involve the profile's DNS mode, Fake-IP filtering, an outdated geodata database, or rule order. Read the request log first. If the log shows a domain matched by the wrong rule, inspect rule order and policy groups. If DNS requests fail before a connection is created, inspect DNS settings rather than changing proxy nodes at random.

##Use Mihomo Party safely after installation

Once the first connection is working, keep the configuration simple until its behavior is understood. Record the active profile name, local mixed port, routing mode, and whether TUN is enabled. This small inventory makes later troubleshooting much faster, especially when Windows updates or another network application changes system settings.

Refresh subscriptions according to the provider's schedule rather than refreshing continuously. A refresh can replace node definitions, policy groups, or rules, so verify the active group afterward. If a provider supplies an update interval, use a reasonable value and avoid aggressive polling that can trigger rate limits.

Use Rule mode for normal mixed traffic when the profile is designed for rule-based routing. Use Global mode as a short diagnostic: if Global works but Rule mode does not, investigate rules, DNS, or policy selection. Use Direct mode to confirm the behavior of the ordinary network path. These modes do not repair an expired subscription or an unreachable node; they only change how the core selects an outbound path.

When finishing a session, disabling the client should also disable the Windows system proxy if the application offers to restore it. If the system proxy remains enabled after Mihomo Party exits, applications may continue trying to connect to a closed local port. Before uninstalling the application, turn off system proxy and TUN, remove any provider profile that is no longer needed, and then use Windows Apps settings or the original installer to remove the program.