How to install software

Updated: 04/12/2021 by Calculator Hope

Microsoft Excel

The installation procedure for software or apps depends on your operating system (Windows and macOS), device (reckoner, smartphone, or tablet), and the plan you lot are installing. As a result of these many combinations, we have created the steps below as a general guideline. The following does non cover errors during the installation procedure, as they are likewise vast for 1 folio. Search our site for further information on specific errors during the setup.

General tips

  • Brand sure your computer meets the system requirements of the program, game, or utility you are attempting to install.
  • The manual, or a README file, commonly contains instructions on how to install a programme. Find it online at the software website or in a text file in the same directory as the installation files.
  • If you lot take bug installing software, or it takes a long time, close or disable any other running programs.
  • Subsequently installing a new programme, if it prompts you to reboot the figurer, exercise and then.

Microsoft Windows users

  • How to install from a CD or DVD.
  • How to install from a download.
  • How to install from a USB flash bulldoze.

How to install from a CD or DVD

Many software titles (like the Microsoft Office suite), games, and utilities have an AutoPlay characteristic. This feature automatically starts a setup screen for the software when the CD or DVD is inserted. If your program contains this characteristic, follow the steps that appear after inserting the disc into the estimator.

If AutoPlay is disabled on your estimator or unavailable on the software disc, follow these steps.

  1. Open My Computer.
  2. In the My Computer window, open the drive containing the installation files. For example, if the files are on the CD-ROM drive, open the D: bulldoze or letter of your CD-ROM bulldoze.
  3. In the bulldoze containing your files, locate either the executable setup (e.one thousand., "setup.exe") or install file. Double-clicking this file starts the installation process. If there are multiple setup or install files, locate the executable file or double-click each setup or install file until y'all find the file that starts the installation.

Tip

Many times the icons associated with the installation files take the same name.

Install a CD on a reckoner with no disc drive

Many new computers no longer have disc drives. If your computer does not accept a disc drive, try finding the software online. Figurer drivers, software for hardware devices, games, and other programs are bachelor for download and installed from a download. If y'all accept the product key, it doesn't affair where you become the programme.

If the program is not available for download, copy all the CD or DVD contents to some other bulldoze on another estimator. For example, you could re-create the disc's contents to a USB flash bulldoze and and then install the program from the USB flash bulldoze.

How to install from a Download

  1. Download the program from the website providing the program.
  2. Open the download folder.
  • Where are the files I downloaded using my web browser?
  1. If the file yous downloaded is executable, double-click the file icon to start the setup process. If the downloaded file is compressed (e.thou., .zip), you must extract the file's contents earlier setup can begin. Fortunately, this office is congenital into almost versions of Windows.
  • How to extract or decompress a compressed file.
  1. Once the files are extracted, double-click the setup or install file to install the program.

How to install from a USB wink drive

  1. Open up Windows Explorer or My Calculator and find the USB bulldoze that is often the terminal drive letter.
  2. Once the drive is opened, detect the setup or executable file, and double-click the file icon to starting time the setup process.

Installing from MS-DOS or the Windows command line

Users installing a program from Microsoft DOS should have a basic agreement of the MS-DOS commands. If you lot're unfamiliar with any of the commands listed below, click the link to become additional information on that specific control.

  1. Before installing an MS-DOS plan, you must switch to the bulldoze or directory containing the installation files. If you lot're installing a plan from a CD or diskette, switch to that bulldoze. If the installation files are located in a dissimilar directory, utilize the dir command to list directories and the cd command to switch directories.
  • How to change drives in MS-DOS and Windows command line.
  1. Once you are in the directory or drive containing the installation files, run the executable setup file. Many times this can exist done by typing setup or install at the prompt to commencement the installation. If both of these commands requite a bad command or file name mistake message, blazon dir *.exe or dir *.com or dir *.bat. These commands listing any executable files found in the directory or drive. If any files are listed, execute these files to run the installation or setup of the program. If no files are listed when typing all three of the commands above, yous're in the incorrect directory or drive letter for that program.
  • How do I run a file from MS-DOS?

How to install on a Mac

Modern Apple computers, like the iMac and MacBook, don't have CD-ROM or DVD drives. Consequently, the following department shows yous how to install from a download.

How to install from a download

  1. Click the Finder icon on the Dock at the bottom of the screen.

Finder icon in the dock

  1. On the left side of the window that appears, under the Favorites section, click the Downloads selector in macOS. selector.
  2. Locate the program you'd like to install and double-click information technology.

Downloads on a Mac

  1. Follow the guided instructions to install the programme.
  2. Once the plan is installed, elevate information technology to the Applications folder and delete the installation file (in this example, FileZilla_3.49_macosx-x86.app.tar.bz2).

Moving a program to the Applications folder.

  1. Click the Applications selector selector to see the program yous installed.

Applications in macOS