diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 72f47b3e1b..c33f738cc8 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ node -v
 mongo --version
 ```
 
+To check your MongoDB version on Windows, you have to locate the installation directory. It is probably located at something like `C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\3.4\` where 3.4 is your version number.
+
 If your versions are lower than the prerequisite versions, you should update.
 
 Platform-specific guides to setting up a development environment:
@@ -191,8 +193,13 @@ Now you will need to start MongoDB, and then seed the database, then you can sta
 
 ```bash
 # Start the mongo server in a separate terminal
+# On OS X:
 mongod
 
+# If you are using Windows, you have to instead specify the full path to the mongod binary
+# Make sure to replace 3.4 with the version you have installed
+"C:\Program Files\MongoDB\Server\3.4\bin\mongod"
+
 # Initialize freeCodeCamp
 # This will seed the database for the first time.
 # This command should only be run once.