Qt 5.12 Performance and Reliability - How Qt Achieves Faster and Leaner Applications
How to Download Qt 5 for Windows
If you are looking for a cross-platform framework to create applications for Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iOS, and more, you might want to consider Qt. Qt is a powerful and versatile framework that lets you create graphical user interfaces, multimedia applications, embedded systems, and more. In this article, we will show you how to download Qt 5 for Windows, how to install it, and how to use it.
What is Qt and why use it?
Qt is a free and open source framework that was originally developed by Trolltech in 1995. It is now maintained by The Qt Company and a community of developers. Qt is written in C++ and provides bindings for other languages such as Python, Java, Ruby, and C#. Qt uses a meta-object compiler (MOC) that generates additional code to enable features such as signals and slots, introspection, and serialization.
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Qt features and benefits
Some of the features and benefits of using Qt are:
Qt provides a rich set of widgets and controls for creating user interfaces.
Qt supports multiple platforms and devices with a consistent look and feel.
Qt offers high-performance graphics and multimedia capabilities with OpenGL, Vulkan, DirectX, Metal, and more.
Qt enables rapid prototyping and development with QML, a declarative language for designing user interfaces.
Qt supports modern web technologies with Qt WebEngine, which integrates Chromium.
Qt simplifies network programming with Qt Network, which provides classes for TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP, FTP, SSL, and more.
Qt facilitates database access with Qt SQL, which supports SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, ODBC, and more.
Qt enables concurrent and parallel programming with Qt Concurrent, which provides classes for threading, synchronization, futures, promises, and more.
Qt supports internationalization and localization with Qt Linguist, which provides tools for translating applications into different languages.
Qt provides extensive documentation and examples for learning and reference.
Qt licensing options
Qt is available under different licensing options depending on your needs and preferences. You can choose from:
The GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) version 3 or the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2 or 3. These are free software licenses that allow you to use Qt for any purpose as long as you comply with their terms. For example, you must share the source code of your application if you use the GPL license.
The Qt Commercial License. This is a paid license that gives you more flexibility and support. For example, you can keep your source code proprietary if you use the commercial license.
How to get Qt 5 for Windows
To download Qt 5 for Windows, you need to have a compatible system and choose the appropriate installer or package. Here are the steps to follow:
System requirements
The system requirements for using Qt 5 on Windows are:
A 64-bit or 32-bit x86 processor
A supported version of Windows: Windows 11 21H2, Windows 10 21H2, Windows 8.1, or Windows 7
A supported compiler: Microsoft Visual Studio (MSVC) 2022, MSVC 2019, MSVC 2017, MSVC 2015, or MinGW 8.1
At least 4 GB of RAM
At least 10 GB of disk space
Online installer
The online installer is the recommended way to download Qt 5 for Windows. It allows you to select the components and modules that you want to install, and it downloads them from the internet. To use the online installer, you need to:
Go to the and click on the "Download Qt Online Installer" button.
Run the downloaded executable file and follow the instructions on the screen.
Accept the license agreement and log in with your Qt account or create one if you don't have one.
Select the Qt version, components, and modules that you want to install. You can also choose the installation directory and the compiler toolchain.
Click on the "Next" button and wait for the installation to complete.
Offline installer
The offline installer is an alternative way to download Qt 5 for Windows. It contains all the components and modules for a specific Qt version and platform. To use the offline installer, you need to:
Go to the and choose the Qt version and platform that you want to download.
Run the downloaded executable file and follow the instructions on the screen.
Accept the license agreement and select the installation directory and the compiler toolchain.
Click on the "Next" button and wait for the installation to complete.
Source packages
The source packages are another option to download Qt 5 for Windows. They contain the source code of Qt and its dependencies. To use the source packages, you need to:
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Go to the and choose the Qt version that you want to download.
Extract the downloaded archive file to a folder of your choice.
Follow the instructions in the guide to configure, build, and install Qt from source.
How to install Qt 5 for Windows
Once you have downloaded Qt 5 for Windows, you need to install it on your system. The installation process depends on the type of installer or package that you used. Here are some general steps to follow:
Using the online installer
If you used the online installer, you should have already installed Qt 5 for Windows during the download process. You can verify that Qt 5 is installed by checking the installation directory that you selected. You should see a folder named "Qt" with subfolders for each Qt version, component, and module that you installed. You can also launch the Qt Maintenance Tool from the Start menu or from the installation directory to manage your Qt installations, such as adding or removing components, updating or uninstalling Qt, or changing settings.
Using the offline installer
If you used the offline installer, you should have already installed Qt 5 for Windows during the download process. You can verify that Qt 5 is installed by checking the installation directory that you selected. You should see a folder named "Qt" with subfolders for each Qt version, component, and module that you installed. You can also launch the Qt Maintenance Tool from the Start menu or from the installation directory to manage your Qt installations, such as adding or removing components, updating or uninstalling Qt, or changing settings.
Building from source
If you used the source packages, you need to build and install Qt 5 for Windows from the source code. This requires some additional steps and tools, such as CMake, Ninja, Perl, Python, and Ruby. You also need to configure the build options and environment variables according to your preferences and system specifications. You can follow the instructions in the guide to complete this process.
How to use Qt 5 for Windows
After installing Qt 5 for Windows, you can start using it to create your applications. There are different ways to use Qt 5 for Windows, depending on your preferred development environment and workflow. Here are some of the most common options:
Qt Creator IDE
Qt Creator is an integrated development environment (IDE) that comes with Qt 5 for Windows. It provides a comprehensive set of tools and features for developing, debugging, testing, and deploying Qt applications. Some of the features of Qt Creator are:
A code editor with syntax highlighting, code completion, refactoring, and more.
A graphical user interface designer with drag-and-drop functionality and preview mode.
A project manager with templates, wizards, and configuration options.
A debugger with breakpoints, watchpoints, stack trace, and more.
A profiler with performance analysis and optimization tools.
A tester with unit testing and code coverage tools.
A deployer with packaging and distribution tools.
To use Qt Creator, you need to launch it from the Start menu or from the installation directory. You can then create a new project or ope