Getting Started with Qt

This guide shows how to get started developing with Qt.

Get and install Qt

The installation process is straightforward. The Qt Online Installer gives you the choice of installing only the modules and tools you need.

1. Create a Qt Account

To begin, create a Qt Account. This account gives you access to a web portal to manage your licenses and access to the forums and wikis. Also, make sure you read the Qt Licensing page regarding your chosen license.

2. Download the Installer

Download the installer from the Downloads page. With the Qt Online Installer, you can install both commercial or open source versions of Qt, development tools, and other components. The online installer requires 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.

3. Install Qt

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 Components

Once Qt is installed, you can use the Maintenance Tool under <install_dir> to add components, update, or remove installed components.

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, 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

Platform Requirements

There are pecific requirements and instructions for developing applications on different platforms are covered in the platform pages.

For more information, visit the supported platforms page.

Reference Documentation

Participate in the Qt Community

Qt's vibrant and active community site http://qt.io, houses a wiki, a forum, and additional learning guides and presentations.

© The Qt Company Ltd
Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3.
https://doc.qt.io/qt-6.0/gettingstarted.html