How to Install Avatarify on Windows 10 (2026 Guide — Step by Step)

Video calling exploded during the pandemic, and with it came one of the most creative applications to ever hit your webcam: Avatarify. This AI-powered tool lets you transform your face into anyone else’s in real time — think Einstein, Eminem, Elon Musk, or literally any image you drop into its avatar folder. Whether you’re looking to spice up a team meeting or just want to see your boss react to “you” as Nicolas Cage, Avatarify makes it happen through a clever plugin that plugs into virtually any video conferencing app. In this guide, I’ll walk you through installing Avatarify on Windows 10 step by step, from GPU requirements to getting that OBS-Camera feed working in Zoom, Skype, and Teams.

What is Avatarify?

Avatarify is a real-time face-swapping application that uses a deep learning model — specifically the First Order Motion Model — to map your facial expressions onto a static reference image. The result? You move your head, blink, and talk, and the avatar mirrors every expression in real time. It’s licensed under a Creative Commons Non-Commercial license, which means personal use, pranks, and casual fun are all fair game — just don’t use it for commercial purposes without proper licensing.

System Requirements

Avatarify leans heavily on GPU acceleration. You’ll need a CUDA-enabled NVIDIA graphics card to get usable frame rates. Here’s what real hardware delivers:

• GeForce GTX 1080 Ti — ~33 fps (smooth real-time)
• GeForce GTX 1070 — ~15 fps (usable, slightly choppy)
• CPU-only (no CUDA GPU) — <1 fps (slideshow territory)

If you don’t have a compatible NVIDIA GPU, Avatarify will fall back to your CPU, and performance will be too slow for live use. This is also why there’s no proper MacBook version — Apple laptops lack CUDA hardware, and the CPU path simply can’t keep up. Of course, you’ll also need a webcam. If yours is giving you trouble, check out our guide on fixing a freezing webcam in Windows before you start.

How to Install Avatarify on Windows 10

Step 1: Update Your NVIDIA Drivers

First, make sure your GPU drivers are up to date. Visit the NVIDIA Driver Download page, select your graphics card model, and download the latest driver. Install it and reboot.

Step 2: Install Miniconda (Python 3.7)

Download and install Miniconda with Python 3.7. The default options are fine — just click through. Miniconda gives us the Python environment and package manager we need to run Avatarify’s dependencies.

Step 3: Install Git

Download and install Git for Windows. This is used to clone the Avatarify source code from GitHub. Again, default installation options work fine.

Step 4: Clone and Install Avatarify

Press the Windows key, type “miniconda”, and open the Anaconda Prompt. Then run these three commands one by one:

git clone https://github.com/alievk/avatarify.git
cd avatarify
scripts\install_windows.bat

The third command will take several minutes — it downloads and compiles PyTorch and other dependencies. Don’t close the window until it finishes.

Step 5: Download the Model Weights

Avatarify needs a pre-trained model to work. Download the vox-adv-cpk.pth.tar file (716 MB) from one of these mirrors:

• Dropbox
• Mega
• Yandex.Disk
• Google Drive

Place the downloaded .pth.tar file directly into the avatarify folder (the one created by the git clone step) — do not unzip it.

Step 6: Run Avatarify

In the Anaconda Prompt (still in the avatarify directory), run:

run_windows.bat

If everything installed correctly, two windows will appear: one showing your live webcam feed (“cam”) and another showing the avatar output (likely Einstein by default). Leave both windows open.

If you have multiple cameras, you may need to set the correct one. Open scripts/settings_windows.bat and edit the CAMID variable (0, 1, 2, etc.) to match your webcam’s index.

Step 7: Set Up OBS Studio as a Virtual Camera

To use Avatarify with video conferencing apps, you need to pipe its output through a virtual camera. Here’s how:

1. Download and install OBS Studio (or if you already use OBS, you’re ahead of the game — check out our top 5 OBS Studio plugins to enhance your setup).
2. Install the VirtualCam plugin — choose “Install and register only 1 virtual camera” during setup.
3. Open OBS Studio. In the Sources section, click + → Window Capture. In the Window drop-down, select [python.exe]: avatarify, then click OK.
4. Right-click the capture → Transform → Fit to screen to fill the canvas.
5. Go to Tools → VirtualCam. Check AutoStart, set Buffered Frames to 0, and click Start.

Now OBS-Camera will appear as a camera option in your video conferencing apps. If you’re new to OBS, also check out our guide on how to record your screen in OBS.

How to Add New Avatars

Avatarify ships with a handful of default avatars. To add your own:

1. Navigate to the avatarify folder on your PC.
2. Open the avatars subdirectory.
3. Paste any .jpg or .png image file there.
4. Press the corresponding number key (1–9) in the avatarify window to switch to it.

For best results, use front-facing, well-lit portrait photos with a neutral expression.

Setting Up Avatarify in Video Conferencing Apps

Once OBS-Camera is running, here’s how to select it in each major platform:

Zoom

Go to Settings → Video → select OBS-Camera from the Camera dropdown.

Skype

Go to Settings → Audio & Video → choose OBS-Camera.

Microsoft Teams

Click your profile picture → Settings → Devices → select OBS-Camera from the Camera menu.

Slack

Start a call, click the gear icon → Video settings → choose OBS-Camera.

If you’re using Discord for video calls too, you can apply the same OBS virtual camera trick. For more Discord tips, see how to mute Discord in OBS and our broader guide on restarting and refreshing Discord.

Avatarify Keyboard Controls

Frequently Asked Questions

Need a better webcam setup first? Check out our guide on using your phone as a webcam for a quick upgrade without buying new hardware.