Install Qt Creator on macOS

1) Prerequisite: macOS system software update

Ensure your macOS operating system is up-to-date. Select  menu -> "System Settings" -> "General" -> "Software Update" and check whether any system updates are available. If so, first install these updates and only then proceed with the rest of this installation guide.

Qt requires that you are running a reletively recent macOS version such as 16.0 (Tahoe), 15.0 (Sequoia) or 14.0 (Sonoma). If your macOS version is older, you will need to update. Here are instructions from Apple on how to upgrade older macOS versions.

2) Install Xcode command-line tools

Open the Terminal application (located in folder Applications -> Utilities or find using Spotlight). In the terminal window, type the command xcode-select --install as shown in the screenshot below:

$ xcode-select --install

If the command responds command line tools are already installed, you are good to go. Otherwise, the installer window will open, click "Install" to download and install the command line tools. This process can take up to an hour depending on your network connection speed.

xcode select installer

3) Download and run the Qt installer

If you have previously installed Qt Creator, you must first uninstall that one before re-installing the latest. To uninstall, find the Qt Maintenance Tool application and run it. On the first panel, select Uninstall only to proceed with uninstall. After uninstalling is complete, continue below to download and install the latest Qt version.

Download the Qt installer from its official download site at https://www.qt.io/download-qt-installer. The site should detect that your computer is running macOS and automatically download the correct installer to your Downloads folder.

The downloaded file will be named something like qt-online-installer-macOS.dmg. Double-click the .dmg file to open and run the Qt installer.

The Qt installer will walk you through a set of steps. For most steps, you can use the default settings and simply click "Next" or "Agree" to move on, with the following exceptions:

  • At the Login step, sign up (or sign in) for your own Qt Account.
    • Enter your @stanford.edu email and verify your account via email.
  • At the Open Source Obligations step:
    • Agree to the license terms as an individual user, not as part of a company/organization and not for commercial use.
  • At the Installation Folder step:
    • Do not change the default name and location of the directory where Qt will be installed.
    • Click the option for "Qt 6.10 for desktop development" Qt libraries for clang. (in the screenshot below, we put a red ring around the option to select)

select desktop install

Wait until the installation process is finished (it can take a while), exit the installer when done.

4) Install CS106-specific package

After installing Qt, you must install the CS106-specific package and do a complete build and run cycle to confirm all is working properly.

Download CS106 package and extract

  • Download this archive file: 📦 CS106.zip
  • Un-zip the download contents (on a Windows computer, click "Extract all") to a location of your choice. You should have a folder named CS106 with several files and folders inside.

Open and configure CS106 project

A Qt Creator project includes a file named with a .pro extension. Double-clicking the .pro file opens the project in Qt Creator.

  • Find the CS106.pro file and open it now.

  • When opening a project for the first time, you must configure the build kit. The correct kit to choose will be the Qt desktop kit you installed
    • If your Qt Creator shows no kits are available, review the Qt install instructions. You can repeat the steps to re-install Qt if you missed selecting the correct option.

  • Check the box for the Qt desktop kit you installed (Qt 6.10.x for your desktop) and click the "Configure Project" button.

    Qt configure project dialog

Build the program

C++ code must be compiled or built before it is run; this means converting the source code into executable binary code.

  • Click the Build icon hammer icon in the lower-left of the Qt Creator window.
  • Watch the build progress meter build progress meter in the lower-right. The first time you build a project, it can take a minute or more to compile the library code. When the bar turns green, it indicates the program successfully built.

Run the program

Now that the program is built, you are ready to run it.

  • Click the Play/Run icon run icon in lower-left of window.

  • The welcome program will prompt you to enter your name and then will show a graphics window with the Stanford logo and confirmation of your library install (should be version 2025.2). Click the "Play sound clip" button for a greeting from LSJUMB.

    screenshot of welcome program

✔️ Congratulations, your installation is good to go! You may now discard the CS106 project, you will not need it again.

5) Configure settings

For a better experience, we encourage changing some of the default settings, see our recommended configuration settings.