How to Download Stable Diffusion in 2025 – Tutorial

Why download Stable Diffusion? Stable Diffusion is an open-source AI image generator that uses deep learning to create stunning images from text prompts. It’s a powerful alternative to paid platforms like Midjourney and DALL·E. With Stable Diffusion, you can create photorealistic images, anime characters, concept art, and much more—all on your own hardware.

Whether you’re a digital artist, content creator, or simply curious about AI art, knowing how to download Stable Diffusion on your device is the first step.

In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to download Stable Diffusion on PC, Mac, and Linux. No technical background required!

• It’s Free and Open Source
• Runs Locally on Your Machine (No Cloud Needed)
• Highly Customizable with Community Add-ons
• No Waiting Times Like Online Tools
• You Own Your Generated Images

Before you download Stable Diffusion, make sure your system meets the basic requirements.

• 8GB RAM (16GB recommended)
• NVIDIA GPU with at least 4GB VRAM (CUDA support)
• 10–20 GB free disk space
• Windows 10+, macOS 12+, or Ubuntu 20.04+

Note: Mac users can run Stable Diffusion via MPS (Metal Performance Shaders) or use Docker.

• Download and install Python from python.org
• Download and install Git from git-scm.com

• Open Command Prompt and run:git clone https://github.com/AUTOMATIC1111/stable-diffusion-webui.git
• Navigate to the directory:cd stable-diffusion-webui

• Go to Hugging Face
• Create an account and accept the license
• Download sd-v1-4.ckpt or v1-5-pruned.safetensors
• Place the file in the /models/Stable-diffusion folder

• Launch webui-user.bat
• Wait for the installation to complete
• Open http://127.0.0.1:7860 in your browser

You’re now ready to start generating images!

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

brew install git python

git clone https://github.com/AUTOMATIC1111/stable-diffusion-webui.git
cd stable-diffusion-webui

• Download model from Hugging Face
• Place .ckpt or .safetensors file in /models/Stable-diffusion

python launch.py --skip-torch-cuda-test --precision full --no-half

Note: macOS doesn’t support CUDA, so performance may be slower.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

sudo apt install git python3 python3-venv

git clone https://github.com/AUTOMATIC1111/stable-diffusion-webui.git
cd stable-diffusion-webui

• Get the model file from Hugging Face
• Place it in models/Stable-diffusion

python3 launch.py

Open your browser to http://127.0.0.1:7860 to begin generating images.

If you don’t want to use the command line, try NMKD Stable Diffusion GUI (Windows only) or DiffusionBee (macOS).

• Download from diffusionbee.com
• One-click install, easy to use

• Download from nmkd.itch.io
• Simple user interface

• Start with simple prompts (e.g. “a cat on a skateboard”)
• Use comma-separated styles: “oil painting, surrealism, high detail”
• Explore community models like DreamBooth, Anime, etc.

Yes, it’s completely free and open-source.

A GPU is strongly recommended for faster generation, but CPU is possible (slower).

Yes, once installed, Stable Diffusion runs completely offline.

Always check model licenses on Hugging Face and avoid generating copyrighted content.

Learning how to download Stable Diffusion on PC, Mac, or Linux doesn’t need to be complicated. With the right steps and tools, anyone can begin creating incredible AI-generated art in just a few minutes.

Whether you choose a manual setup or a one-click GUI, Stable Diffusion gives you the power of AI image generation directly on your computer.

Start exploring your creativity today by downloading Stable Diffusion on your favorite operating system.