Getting Started with Qt
Installing Qt
You can install the Qt Framework and tools by using an online or offline installer, or by building the source packages yourself.
The installers allow you to download and install the following components:
- Qt libraries, prebuilt for a particular development platform (operating system and compiler)
- Qt Creator integrated development environment (IDE)
- Reference Documentation and examples
- Qt in source code form (needed only if you want to build the framework and tools yourself)
- Add-On components that are relevant for different platforms
Online Installation
In the online installer, you can select commercial or open source versions of Qt, tools, and Add-On components to install. Using the online installer requires signing in to your Qt Account. The installer retrieves the license attached to the account from a server and provides a list of available components corresponding to the license.
The online installer is available from the Qt Downloads page.
Offline Installation
An offline installer is a single package that contains all of Qt and Add-Ons relevant for a target platform. Users with a commercial license can either sign in with their Qt account or with their Qt license key during the installation process. The license key is available in the Qt Account Web portal.
The offline installer is available here.
Installation Process
To run the installer, you need a Qt Account. You can use your Qt Account credentials to sign-in to all Qt services, including the forums and wiki. If you do not already have a Qt Account, you can create one during the installation process.
To complete the installation, select the components that you want to install and follow the instructions of the installation program.
The following YouTube video gives a complete walk-through of the installation process:
Updating or Removing Qt
Once Qt is installed, you can use the Maintenance Tool under <install_dir> to add components and to update or remove installed components.
Platform Requirements
Specific requirements and instructions for developing applications on different platforms are covered in the platform pages.
For more information, visit the supported platforms page.
Create Your First Applications
Learn the basics of Qt and Qt Quick development by following the two tutorials below that illustrate how to create simple applications and build and run them on target platforms:
Qt Widgets provides a library of UI elements which allow you to create classic desktop-style user interfaces. Qt Quick is a library providing types and functionalities for building modern, fluid, animated UIs.
For a more thorough walkthrough of the different aspects of developing applications with Qt 5, see the QML Book. It focuses on Qt Quick, but also provides the information needed to use QML together with C++.
Explore Qt
We invite you to explore the rest of Qt. We prepared overviews which help you decide which APIs to use and our examples demonstrate how to use them.
To view a list of all Qt examples, visit the List of Qt Examples page.
Setting Up Projects
Developing with Qt Creator
- Building for Multiple Platforms
- Running on Multiple Platforms
- Deploying to Devices
- Connecting Devices
Reference Documentation
- Qt Overviews - list of topics about application development
- Examples and Tutorials - code samples and tutorials
- Qt Reference Pages - a listing of C++ and QML APIs
Qt Project Community
Qt's vibrant and active community site, http://qt.io houses a wiki, a forum, and additional learning guides and presentations.