Model Installation Guide

Learn how to install various model types.

Model Types

Type	Location	Description
Checkpoint	models/checkpoints/	Base models
VAE	models/vae/	Encoder/decoder
LoRA	models/loras/	Style modifiers
Embedding	models/embeddings/	Text enhancements
ControlNet	models/controlnet/	Structure control
Upscale	models/upscale_models/	Resolution enhancement

Checkpoint Models

Download Locations

• Civitai
• Hugging Face
• Stability AI

File Formats

Format	Extension	Safety
SafeTensors	.safetensors	Recommended
PyTorch	.ckpt, .pth	Use carefully
Pickle	.pkl	Avoid

Installation

1. Download model file
2. Place in appropriate folder:

# Stable Diffusion
ComfyUI/models/checkpoints/

# SDXL
ComfyUI/models/checkpoints/
# SDXL uses same folder

3. Refresh ComfyUI or restart

VAE Models

Why VAE Matters

• Affects image quality
• Some checkpoints need specific VAE
• Can improve color/smoothness

Popular VAE

VAE	Use For
autoencoder_kl-f8.pt	SD 1.x
autoencoder_kl-f8-fp16-fix.safetensors	SDXL
vae-ft-mse-840000-ema-pruned.safetensors	General

Installation

ComfyUI/models/vae/
  your-vae.safetensors

LoRA Models

Installation

ComfyUI/models/loras/
  your-lora.safetensors

Trigger Words

Check model page for required trigger words.

Embeddings

Installation

ComfyUI/models/embeddings/
  your-embedding.pt
  your-embedding.safetensors

Usage in Prompt

embedding:embedding-name

ControlNet Models

Required Files

ComfyUI/models/controlnet/
  control_v11p_sd15_canny.pth
  control_v11p_sd15_depth.pth
  control_v11f1p_sd15_depth.pth
  control_v11p_sd15_openpose.pth
  # ... more models

Preprocessor Models

Located in custom node folders:

ComfyUI/custom_nodes/comfyui_controlnet_aux/
  models/
    midas/
    openpose/

Upscale Models

Popular Options

Model	Use For
4x-UltraSharp.pth	Photos, general
4x_NickelSSR_900000.pth	Anime
RealESRGAN_x4.pth	General

Installation

ComfyUI/models/upscale_models/
  4x-UltraSharp.pth

Model Management

Organize by Type

models/
  checkpoints/
  vae/
  loras/
  embeddings/
  controlnet/
  upscale_models/

Cleanup

• Remove unused models
• Keep multiple versions if needed
• Backup important models

Troubleshooting

Model Not Showing

1. Check file location
2. Verify file is complete
3. Restart ComfyUI
4. Check file permissions

Corrupted Model

• Re-download file
• Check file hash
• Try different source

Next Steps

• Getting Started - Use installed models
• Share Models - Share across installations