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Installing Qlik Sense Desktop

This section describes how to install Qlik Sense Desktop on your computer.

System requirements

To successfully install and run Qlik Sense Desktop, the requirements listed in this section must be fulfilled.

Qlik Sense Desktop requirements
Operating system

Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit version only)

Microsoft Windows 11

Processors (CPUs)

Intel Core 2 Duo or higher recommended.

Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX) support.

Memory

4 GB minimum (depending on data volumes, more may be required).

Information noteQlik Sense uses an in-memory analysis technology. The memory requirements are directly related to the amount of data being analyzed.
Disk space 5.0 GB total required to install
.NET framework

4.8 or higher

Security Local admin privileges needed to install.
Minimum screen resolution
  • Desktops, laptops and tablets: 1024x768
  • Small screens: 320x568
Browser support
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Google Chrome
  • Mozilla Firefox
Tip note

By default, Qlik Sense Desktop runs in a window of its own. But you can also open it in a web browser.

For more information, see Starting Qlik Sense Desktop.

Warning noteMozilla Firefox requires hardware acceleration, not supported in virtual environments.

What is included in Qlik Sense Desktop

Desktop items and start menu items

After having completed your installation of Qlik Sense Desktop, a shortcut will be available from the desktop as well as from the Start menu (Start > All Programs):

  • Shortcut to Qlik Sense Desktop

    The hub is the starting point when you run Qlik Sense. That is where you find all the Qlik Sense apps that you have created.

Qlik Sense Desktop installation location

After having completed your installation of Qlik Sense Desktop, Qlik Sense Desktop is installed to Users\{user}\AppData\Local\Programs\Qlik.

You can also specify the installation location with the Custom Installation option.

Examples, apps and logs

There are some example files included in the installation of Qlik Sense Desktop. These are installed to Users\{user}\Documents\Qlik\Examples. For example, a number of extension code examples are installed to the Extensions sub-folder.

The installation of Qlik Sense Desktop also comes with example apps. These are installed to Users\{user}\Documents\Qlik\Sense\Apps.

In your installation of Qlik Sense Desktop, logs are found in Users\{user}\Documents\Qlik\Sense\Log.

Obtaining the setup file

The Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe file can be obtained from Product Downloads. Save it to a folder on your computer.

For more information, see Downloading installation files.

Installing Qlik Sense Desktop

You can either perform a standard installation, where installation and storage locations are set to default options, or specify the locations in a custom installation.

Qlik Sense Desktop standard installation

  1. Double-click Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe to start the installation.

    The welcome dialog is displayed.

  2. Click Install if you want to perform a standard installation.

    The License agreement dialog is displayed.

  3. Read the license agreement, select I accept the license agreement, and click Next.

    Tip noteYou also have the option to print the license agreement to a local printer.
  4. On the Ready to install screen, optionally select to create a desktop shortcut. Click Install.
  5. In the Extension bundles section, optionally select to install the extension bundles. Then, select which extension bundles you want to install from the list of those available for your Qlik Sense installation.
  6. You can always add or remove extension bundles from your Qlik Sense installation at a later moment. See: Modifying extension bundles installation.

  7. If you have chosen not to install the extension bundles, click Install. Otherwise, click Next.
  8. If you are installing any of the extension bundles, accept the extension bundle license agreement. Then, click Install.
  9. When the installation has completed, the Installation summary is displayed.

    Click Finish to close the Installation summary.

  10. You have now successfully installed Qlik Sense Desktop on your computer.

Qlik Sense Desktop custom installation

  1. Double-click on Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe to start the installation.

    The welcome dialog is displayed.

  2. Click Custom Installation.

    The License agreement dialog is displayed.

  3. Read the license agreement, select the I accept the license agreement check box, and click Next.

    Tip noteYou also have the option to print the license agreement to a local printer.
  4. Type or browse to the location where you want to install Qlik Sense Desktop and click Next.

    Information noteQlik Sense Desktop cannot be installed in locations where administrator rights are required, for example C:\Program Files.
  5. Type or browse to the location where you want Qlik Sense Desktop to store app content, and click Next.
  6. On the Ready to install screen, optionally select to create a desktop shortcut. Click Install.
  7. In the Extension bundles section of the Ready to install screen, optionally select to create a desktop shortcut. Then, select which extension bundles you want to install from the list of those available for your Qlik Sense installation.
  8. You can always add or remove extension bundles from your Qlik Sense installation at a later moment. See: Modifying extension bundles installation.

  9. If you have chosen not to install the extension bundles, click Install. Otherwise, click Next.
  10. If you are installing any of the extension bundles, accept the extension bundle license agreement. Then, click Install.
  11. When the installation has completed, the Installation summary is displayed.

    Click Finish to close the Installation summary.

  12. You have now successfully installed Qlik Sense Desktop on your computer, using customized installation and storage locations.

Information noteTo silently install Qlik Sense Desktop, see Silent installation of Qlik Sense Desktop.

Upgrading Qlik Sense Desktop

The upgrade option is available when Qlik Sense has been previously installed and a newer version of the setup file Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe is executed.

  1. Double-click on Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe to start the installation.

    The welcome dialog is displayed.

  2. Click UPGRADE.

    The License agreement dialog is displayed.

  3. Read the license agreement and then tick the I accept the license agreement check box (if this is the case) and click Next.

    Tip noteYou also have the option to print the license agreement to a local printer.

    The Ready to install dialog is displayed.

  4. Click Upgrade to start the installation.

    When the installation has completed, the Installation summary is displayed.

  5. Click Finish to close the Installation summary
  6. You have now successfully upgraded to a newer version of Qlik Sense Desktop.

Information noteTo silently upgrade Qlik Sense Desktop, see Silent installation of Qlik Sense Desktop.

App migration

After upgrading Qlik Sense Desktop, apps need to be migrated to ensure compatibility. In the hub, app thumbnails are not displayed before the app is migrated.

Migration is performed automatically when you open an app for the first time after an upgrade. Before an app is migrated, a backup copy is created in Users\{user}\Documents\Qlik\Sense\AppsBackup. You can use the backup copy if you want to open the app in a previous version of Qlik Sense Desktop.

Qlik Sense Desktop ports

Qlik Sense Desktop uses port 4848 by default.

Qlik Sense Desktop storage

This section describes where the Qlik Sense apps are stored when running Qlik Sense Desktop.

Default storage

By default, Qlik Sense stores apps in the local file system under C:\Users\{user}\Documents\Qlik\Sense.

Portable format

A Qlik Sense app can be stored in the local file system in the proprietary .qvf format, which is a portable format.

A single app is stored as <AppName>.qvf, where <AppName> is the title of the app.

Modifying extension bundles installation

You can add or remove extension bundles from your Qlik Sense Desktop installation at any moment.

  1. In Control Panel, open Programs and Features.
  2. In the list of programs, double-click the extension bundle that you want to modify.
  3. The Extension Bundle Setup Wizard opens. Click Next.
  4. Select Change.
  5. On the Custom setup screen, click on the bundle icon to select how to modify the bundle installation:
    • If the bundle is installed, select Entire feature will be unavailable to uninstall it.
    • If the bundle is not installed, select Entire feature will be installed on local hard drive to install it.

    Then, click Next.

  6. Click Change.
  7. Click Finish to close the Extension Bundle Setup Wizard.

Repairing Qlik Sense Desktop

The Repair option restores all missing files, shortcuts and registry values.

  1. To start repairing the installation, open the Control Panel and select Uninstall a program. Then select Qlik Sense Desktop from the list of programs and click Change.

    The Qlik Sense Desktop Setup maintenance dialog is displayed.

    Tip noteYou can also perform this action by double-clicking the Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe file.
  2. Click REPAIR.

    The Ready to repair dialog is displayed.

  3. Click Repair.

    The repair starts and the progress is displayed.

  4. When the repair process is finished, the Repair summary dialog is displayed to confirm that Qlik Sense Desktop has been repaired successfully.

  5. Click Finish.

You have now successfully repaired your Qlik Sense Desktop installation.

Information noteTo silently repair Qlik Sense Desktop, see Silent installation of Qlik Sense Desktop.

Uninstalling Qlik Sense Desktop

  1. To start uninstalling Qlik Sense Desktop, open the Control Panel and select Uninstall a program. Then select Qlik Sense Desktop from the list of programs and click Uninstall.

    A confirmation dialog is displayed asking if you are sure that you want to uninstall Qlik Sense Desktop from your computer.

    Tip noteYou can also uninstall Qlik Sense Desktop by double-clicking the Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe file and then selecting Uninstall from the maintenance dialog. In that case, you must use the correct version of the setup file when modifying your Qlik Sense Desktop installation, that is the same version used when installing Qlik Sense Desktop.
  2. Click Uninstall.

    The uninstall process starts and the progress is displayed.

  3. When the uninstall process is finished, the Uninstall summary dialog is displayed to confirm that Qlik Sense Desktop has been uninstalled successfully.

  4. Click Finish.

You have now uninstalled Qlik Sense Desktop.

Information noteTo silently uninstall Qlik Sense Desktop, see Silent installation of Qlik Sense Desktop.

Silent installation of Qlik Sense Desktop

When running a silent installation, Qlik Sense Desktop is installed with no dialogs at all. This means all features, properties and user selections have to be known before performing a silent installation. All setup options that are available in the user interface of the installer can be performed with silent operations.

  1. Select Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt.

    The Command Prompt window is displayed.

  2. In the Command Prompt window, navigate to the folder containing the Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe file.

  3. Enter Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe followed by the silent installation syntax preferred.

Syntax

Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe [-silent] [-uninstall] [-repair] {-log path\filename} {layout=path} {accepteula=1|0} {desktopshortcut=1|0} {installdir=path} {storagepath=path} {bundleinstall=dashboard|visualization}
Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe -? or -h Brings up the on-screen silent setup help.

Commands

-silent (or -s)   Command line-driven setup without UI (mandatory).
-uninstall   Uninstall the product silently. It must be used with -silent command.
-repair   Repair the product silently. It must be used with -silent command.
-log (or -l) [log file name with path]

Log file directory and log file name.

Information noteThe user must have access to this directory.
-layout [destination directory]
Extracts files (including .msi files) to the destination directory.
Information noteThis argument should not be combined with other command line arguments.

Arguments

Arguments are separated by space and presented in the form [Argument]="[Value]". The double quotes can normally be omitted but may be needed, for example, when a path contains spaces.

The default values are the same as those used in the setup user interface.

accepteula 1|0

Accepts the Qlik User License Agreement.

Warning noteThis argument is mandatory when installing or upgrading, and you must accept the QULA to install successfully.
desktopshortcut 1|0 (defaults to 1 on clean installs) Installs desktop shortcuts.
installdir [path to custom install directory] Defines the directory if the default install directory will not be used. Default install directory: %LocalAppData%\Programs.
storagepath [path to custom directory used for apps, logs, extensions] Defines the path to custom directory used for apps, logs, extensions. Must be supplied with the installdir parameter. Default storage path: C:\Users\{user}\Documents\Qlik\Sense.
bundleinstall dashboard,visualization

Includes the dashboard and visualization bundles.

Examples

Install or upgrade Qlik Sense Desktop

The following example installs Qlik Sense Desktop or upgrades the current setup.

Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe -s accepteula=1

Install Qlik Sense Desktop with object bundles

The following example installs Qlik Sense Desktop, including the Dashboard and Visualization object bundles.

Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe -s accepteula=1 bundleinstall=dashboard,visualization

Install Qlik Sense Desktop without desktop shortcuts

The following example installs Qlik Sense Desktop without desktop shortcuts. Additionally, the installation logs are created in a custom folder.

Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe -s -l c:\mylogpath desktopshortcut=0 accepteula=1

Repair Qlik Sense Desktop

The following example repairs an existing installation of Qlik Sense Desktop.

Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe -s -repair

Uninstall Qlik Sense Desktop

The following example uninstalls Qlik Sense Desktop.

Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe -s -uninstall

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