Thanks Irfon-Kim for your research, but you're making this a lot harder than it needs to be. I'll try to redress the balance -- not that I'm claiming it's Windows-friendly.
Yes, you need to know several magic things to go this route.
You don't need to install any extra tools, nor use a command line, nor have a bar of chocolatey.
The first is to have that link that Ben Gamari provided in the first place, which is not an obvious thing at all.
I think Ben gave the wrong link[**], and it's not obvious why you'd go to such an unfriendly page at all. Should be: https://www.haskell.org/ghc/download_ghc_8_10_1.html, section Windows 64-bit (x86_64). This is to download ghc-8.10.1-x86_64-unknown-mingw32.tar.xz <https://downloads.haskell.org/~ghc/8.10.1/ghc-8.10.1-x86_64-unknown-mingw32.tar.xz> it's not the 'unknown' that tells you it's Windows, it's the 'w' in 'w32'. I don't know why you're downloading a `.lz`: the `.tar.xz` is a format that Windows Explorer understands [***]; just use Explorer to find that in the Downloads folder; it needs several clicks to unpack it, but by all means unpack into the Downloads folder; navigate to `\bin`; there is ghci.exe; double-click. (No need to set your path, it'll default to `\bin`; no need to call from a command line.) Indeed you can copy ghci.exe and paste as shortcut on your desktop/taskbar; set the 'Start in' as the `\bin` folder. Now fair warning: this is only the ghci executable/base compiler; no libraries/packages; no cabal, no stackage. But at least a beginner can sit at a GHCi prompt and enter some expressions; they can call `:edit` to create a `.hs` module. They can `:set editor` for a more programmer-friendly editor. [**] How did I get to that download link? (Just to show there's nothing up my sleeves) * haskell.org -> Downloads -> Minimal Installers * -> 'the GHC compiler' in the section's opening sentence * you're at haskell.org/ghc/; latest release -> download * scan down the page for Windows I'm saying to ignore all that stuff about 'proper Haskell distribution'; 'Distribution packages' (not available for Windows). For a beginner it's all cruft; they can figure it out after they're using Haskell. Really this could all be a lot easier and a lot better explained and a lot more in-your-face for a beginner. I continue to take away the impression that ghc doesn't want beginners. [***] I agree a `.xz` needs 7-zip to unpack. I don't think I went so far as to obtain that first; I think it came with my Windows (8.1) install. Perhaps later Windows have it better integrated(?)