Cloudflared-windows-amd64.exe (2026)

This article covers everything from download to advanced configuration. Cloudflared is the client that powers Cloudflare Tunnel (formerly Argo Tunnel). It establishes an encrypted connection between your origin server (your Windows PC) and Cloudflare’s edge. Traffic from the public internet hits Cloudflare, then travels through the tunnel to your local service.

– Ensure outbound TCP port 443 (HTTPS) and UDP 443 are allowed for cloudflared.exe . 10. Updating Cloudflared Cloudflared updates frequently. To update manually:

cloudflared.exe tunnel create my-first-tunnel This creates a tunnel (with a UUID) and stores its credentials in .cloudflared . It also creates a tunnel configuration file template.

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared/releases/latest/download/cloudflared-windows-amd64.exe" -OutFile "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\cloudflared.exe" Move it to a permanent location, e.g., C:\cloudflared\cloudflared.exe , and add that folder to your PATH for easy access. Cloudflared needs to authenticate with your Cloudflare account. cloudflared-windows-amd64.exe

Start small: run a one-off tunnel to a test website. Then graduate to a named tunnel with a custom domain and persistent Windows service. You’ll never mess with port forwarding again. Cloudflared is maintained by Cloudflare, Inc. This guide is unofficial but follows best practices as of 2025.

First, ensure your config is ready. Then:

Visit https://github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared/releases Look for the latest release and download: cloudflared-windows-amd64.exe amd64 means it’s for 64-bit Windows (most modern PCs). For 32-bit, use 386 . Alternative using command line (PowerShell as Admin): This article covers everything from download to advanced

cloudflared.exe tunnel --url http://localhost:3000 Cloudflare gives you a random https://random-name.trycloudflare.com URL. This uses Cloudflare’s Quick Tunnels feature—no authentication, no config. “Access is denied” – Run Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator when installing the service or writing to Program Files .

For TCP services, you must also set up Cloudflare Access (or use cloudflared access tcp on the client side). For temporary sharing (e.g., a demo), you don’t even need a domain. Run:

cloudflared.exe service install This creates a service named “Cloudflare Tunnel Agent”. Start it: Traffic from the public internet hits Cloudflare, then

– Cloudflared does not listen on ports locally (it connects outbound). The error may be your local web server.

Open or PowerShell and navigate to where cloudflared.exe lives, then run:

net start cloudflared Or use the Services GUI ( services.msc ). The service automatically runs at boot. | Local Service | Example URL | Config service line | |------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------| | IIS (default website) | http://localhost:80 | service: http://localhost:80 | | Node.js dev server | http://localhost:3000 | service: http://localhost:3000 | | Jellyfin / Plex | http://localhost:8096 | service: http://localhost:8096 | | SMB / RDP (via Access) | tcp://localhost:3389 | service: tcp://localhost:3389 | | SSH | tcp://localhost:22 | service: tcp://localhost:22 |