Install QGIS and GDAL

last updated: September 04, 2024

QGIS Installation

To install QGIS on MacOS and Windows, follow the instructions in this section.

Installing QGIS on MacOS

To install QGIS on MacOS:

  1. Go to the QGIS website.
  2. Click Download for macOS.
  3. Select the appropriate installer for your operating system. There are usually multiple options, so choose the one that corresponds to your version of MacOS.
  4. Wait for the download to complete. The download may take several minutes, depending on your internet speed.
  5. Once the download is complete, open the DMG file.
  6. Double-click the QGIS icon to begin the installation process.
  7. Follow the prompts to complete the installation. You may need to enter your password to allow the installation to proceed.
  8. Once the installation is complete, you can launch QGIS from your Applications folder.

Installing QGIS on Windows

To install QGIS on Windows:

  1. Go to the QGIS website.
  2. Scroll down to the Standalone Installers section.
  3. Click the Windows link to download the installer file.
  4. Choose the appropriate installer for the system (32-bit or 64-bit). If you are unsure, select the 64-bit version.
  5. When the installer file is downloaded, locate it on your computer and double-click to run it.
  6. If a User Account Control (UAC) dialog box appears, click Yes to allow the installer to make changes to your system.
  7. The QGIS Setup Wizard opens. Click Next to proceed.
  8. Read and accept the license agreement, and then click Next.
  9. Choose the installation type. If you are unsure, the default Express installation is recommended. Click Next.
  10. Select the destination folder for where to install QGIS, or you can keep the default location. Click Next.
  11. Choose the components to install. The default components are usually sufficient for most installations. Click Next.
  12. Select the Start Menu folder for QGIS shortcuts, or keep the default option. Click Next.
  13. If prompted to choose additional tasks, select the preferred options or keep the default settings. Click Next.
  14. Review the installation summary and click Install to begin the installation. The installation can take a few minutes to complete.
  15. When the installation is complete, click Finish to exit the setup wizard.

GDAL Installation

GDAL (Geospatial Data Abstraction Library) is a powerful open-source library used for reading, writing, and processing geospatial data. It provides the ability to work with various geospatial file formats. GDAL supports a wide range of raster and vector formats, enabling efficient manipulation and analysis of geospatial data. GDAL enables you to use command-line tools or you can integrate it into your preferred programming language (such as Python or C++) to work with geospatial data and perform geospatial tasks.

To install GDAL on MacOS and Windows, follow the instructions in this section.

Installing GDAL on macOS

There are multiple ways to install GDAL on macOS, for the purposes of this procedure, one of the most popular methods is using the Homebrew package manager. If you do not have Homebrew installed, download it from Homebrew. When you have Homebrew, perform the following steps:

  1. Open a Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal.)

  2. Update Homebrew by running the following command:

brew update

Install GDAL using Homebrew:

brew install gdal

  1. After the installation is complete, you can verify GDAL's installation by running:

gdalinfo --version

Installing GDAL on Windows

To install GDAL on Windows, you can use the OSGeo4W (Open Source Geospatial for Windows) installer, which provides an easy way to set up GDAL and other geospatial tools.

  1. From the OSGEO4W website, download the OSGeo4W Network Installer appropriate for your system (32-bit or 64-bit).

  2. Run the downloaded installer and choose Express Desktop Install when prompted.

  3. In the Select Packages step, find gdal in the Commandline_Utilities section and click Skip once to change it to the version number you want to install. Choose the most current version.

  4. Continue with the installation, follow the prompts. GDAL and its dependencies, will be installed on your Windows system.

  5. When the installation is complete, verify the GDAL installation by running the following command in the OSGeo4W Shell:

gdalinfo --version


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