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Ollama

Ollama runs large language models locally. This page covers enabling LAN access and cross-origin (CORS) access to Ollama on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Configuration#

Ollama uses environment variables to control its bind address and allowed CORS origins. Set the variables for your platform, open the firewall port if needed, then verify.

Environment variables#

Ollama reads these environment variables:

VariablePurposeDefault
OLLAMA_HOSTBind address127.0.0.1:11434
OLLAMA_ORIGINSAllowed CORS origins127.0.0.1, 0.0.0.0

Set OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0:11434 to allow LAN access. Set OLLAMA_ORIGINS=* to allow all cross-origin requests.

OLLAMA_ORIGINS accepts these values:

ValueDescription
*Allow all origins
http://localhost:3000Allow specific origin
http://localhost:3000,https://myapp.comMultiple origins

Set environment variables on macOS#

On macOS, Ollama runs as a GUI app managed by launchd.

  1. Set the variables with launchctl:

    sh
    launchctl setenv OLLAMA_HOST "0.0.0.0:11434"launchctl setenv OLLAMA_ORIGINS "*"

  2. Quit Ollama from the menu bar and relaunch it.

Set environment variables on Windows#

  1. Set user environment variables in PowerShell:

    powershell
    [System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("OLLAMA_HOST", "0.0.0.0:11434", "User")[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("OLLAMA_ORIGINS", "*", "User")

  2. Quit Ollama from the Start menu and relaunch it.

Set environment variables on Linux#

On Linux, Ollama runs as a systemd service. Run these steps in a root shell:

  1. Edit the service configuration:

    sh
    systemctl edit ollama.service

  2. Add the following content:

    ini
    [Service]Environment="OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0:11434"Environment="OLLAMA_ORIGINS=*"

  3. Reload the configuration and restart the service:

    sh
    systemctl daemon-reloadsystemctl restart ollama

Allow the port in Windows Firewall#

Add an inbound rule for TCP port 11434:

powershell
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Ollama API" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 11434 -Action Allow

Allow the port in Linux firewall#

Allow TCP port 11434 in the firewall you use:

sh
# UFWufw allow 11434/tcp
# firewalldfirewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=11434/tcpfirewall-cmd --reload

Verify the configuration#

Request the version endpoint. A version number in the response means the service is reachable.

macOS and Linux:

sh
curl http://localhost:11434/api/version

Windows:

powershell
curl http://127.0.0.1:11434/api/version

Troubleshooting#

These are common cases where environment variables do not take effect on macOS.

Environment variables in zshrc have no effect on macOS#

Cause: Ollama is started by launchd and does not read ~/.zshrc.

Fix: set the variables with launchctl setenv instead. See Set environment variables on macOS.

Settings are lost after restarting macOS#

Cause: settings made with launchctl setenv do not persist across reboots.

Fix: use either method to persist them:

  • Run ollama serve manually.
  • Create a LaunchAgent plist.