The easiest way to install FreeCAD on Windows is to download the installer below.
Windows 32 bits
Windows 64 bits
After downloading the .msi (Microsoft Installer) file, just double-click on it to start the installation process.
Below is more information about technical options. If it looks daunting, don't worry! Most Windows users will not need anything more than the .msi to install FreeCAD and Get started!
Contents
Simple Microsoft Installer Installation
The easiest way to install FreeCAD on Windows is by using the installer above. This page describes the usage and the features of the Microsoft Installer for more installation options.
If you would like to download either a 64 bit or unstable development version, see the Download page.
Command Line Installation
With the msiexec.exe command line utility, additional features are available, like non-interactive installation and administrative installation.
Non-interactive Installation
With the command line
msiexec /i FreeCAD<version>.msi
installation can be initiated programmatically. Additional parameters can be passed at the end of this command line, like
msiexec /i FreeCAD-2.5.msi TARGETDIR=r:\FreeCAD25
Limited user interface
The amount of user interface that installer displays can be controlled with /q options, in particular:
- /qn - No interface
- /qb - Basic interface - just a small progress dialog
- /qb! - Like /qb, but hide the Cancel button
- /qr - Reduced interface - display all dialogs that don't require user interaction (skip all modal dialogs)
- /qn+ - Like /qn, but display "Completed" dialog at the end
- /qb+ - Like /qb, but display "Completed" dialog at the end
Target directory
The property TARGETDIR determines the root directory of the FreeCAD installation. For example, a different installation drive can be specified with
TARGETDIR=R:\FreeCAD25
The default TARGETDIR is [WindowsVolume\Programm Files\]FreeCAD<version>.
Installation for All Users
Adding
ALLUSERS=1
causes an installation for all users. By default, the non-interactive installation install the package just for the current user, and the interactive installation offers a dialog which defaults to "all users" if the user is sufficiently privileged.
功能选择
FreeCAD 安装器提供了安装，重装，卸载选项：
- DefaultFeature - 安装适当的软件，再加上核心库。
- Documentation - 安装文档。
- Source code - 安装源码
- ... ToDo
此外，ALL 指定的所有功能。所有的特性依赖于默认功能 DefaultFeature，所以安装任何功能都会安装 DefaultFeature，下面的参数为指定重装或者卸载
- ADDLOCAL - 指定需要安装的功能
- REMOVE - 指定需要卸载的功能
- ADDDEFAULT - list of features added in their default configuration (which is local for all FreeCAD features)
- REINSTALL - 指定需要重装／修复的功能
- ADVERTISE - 指定需要广告方式安装的功能
There are a few additional properties available; see the MSDN documentation for details.
With these options, adding
ADDLOCAL=Extensions
installs the interpreter itself and registers the extensions, but does not install anything else.
Uninstallation
With
msiexec /x FreeCAD<version>.msi
FreeCAD can be uninstalled. It is not necessary to have the MSI file available for uninstallation; alternatively, the package or product code can also be specified. You can find the product code by looking at the properties of the Uninstall shortcut that FreeCAD installs in the start menu.
Administrative installation
With
msiexec /a FreeCAD<version>.msi
an "administrative" (network) installation can be initiated. The files get unpacked into the target directory (which should be a network directory), but no other modification is made to the local system. In addition, another (smaller) msi file is generated in the target directory, which clients can then use to perform a local installation (future versions may also offer to keep some features on the network drive altogether).
Currently, there is no user interface for administrative installations, so the target directory must be passed on the command line.
There is no specific uninstall procedure for an administrative install - just delete the target directory if no client uses it anymore.
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With
msiexec /jm FreeCAD<version>.msi
it would be possible, in principle, to "advertise" FreeCAD to a machine (with /ju to a user). This would cause the icons to appear in the start menu, and the extensions to become registered, without the software actually being installed. The first usage of a feature would cause that feature to be installed.
The FreeCAD installer currently supports just advertisement of start menu entries, but no advertisement of shortcuts.
Automatic Installation on a Group of Machines
With Windows Group Policy, it is possible to automatically install FreeCAD an a group of machines. To do so, perform the following steps:
- Log on to the domain controller
- Copy the MSI file into a folder that is shared with access granted to all target machines.
- Open the MMC snapin "Active Directory users and computers"
- Navigate to the group of computers that need FreeCAD
- Open Properties
- Open Group Policies
- Add a new policy, and edit it
- In Computer Configuration/Software Installation, choose New/Package
- Select the MSI file through the network path
- Optionally, select that you want the FreeCAD to be deinstalled if the computer leaves the scope of the policy.
Group policy propagation typically takes some time - to reliably deploy the package, all machines should be rebooted.
Installation on Linux using Crossover Office
You can install the windows version of FreeCAD on a Linux system using CXOffice 5.0.1. Run msiexec from the CXOffice command line, assuming that the install package is placed in the "software" directory which is mapped to the drive letter "Y:":
msiexec /i Y:\\software\\FreeCAD<version>.msi
FreeCAD is running, but it has been reported that the OpenGL display does not work, like with other programs running under Wine i.e. Google SketchUp.