How to install and run KDE programs in Windows

by Ross McKillop on June 30, 2008

Linux Windows

This tutorial will guide you step by step through installing KDE in Windows.

First things first, you’ll need to download the KDE-Installer for Windows. You can run KDE in Windows if you’re using Windows 2000, XP, 2003 or Vista. Once the download has completed, double-click the application to begin.

  1. Launch the KDE installer, review the info on the initial screen, and click Next to continue.

    2. initial KDE installation screen for Windows
    click to enlarge

  2. Select an installation directory for KDE and its components. Click the Browse button and navigate to the folder you want to install KDE in. Once selected, click Next.

    3. select an installation location for KDE in windows
    click to enlarge

  3. On the Install Mode screen, leave the default (End User) selected. Click Next.

    4. selecting an install mode for KDE in Windows
    click to enlarge

  4. Now choose a directory to store the installation files that will be downloaded. When you’re ready, click Next.

    5. selecting a directory to store the installation files for KDE in windows
    click to enlarge

  5. Select your Internet Connection type (probably the default I have a direct connection to the Internet). Yet again, click Next.

    6. selecting the internet connection type for the KDE windows installer
    click to enlarge

  6. Choose the download server closest to you, and you guessed it, click Next.

    7. selecting a kde download server
    click to enlarge

  7. Now place a check in the box next to each item you want to install. Next.

    8. pick the KDE options you want to install in windows
    click to enlarge

  8. Depending on the packages you opted to install, you’ll be presented with a list of required packages that also need to be downloaded and installed. Click Next to start the downloads.

    9. the required KDE packages for a windows installation
    click to enlarge

  9. You may want to grab a cup of coffee at this point, but don’t go too far away from your PC…

    10. kde downloading
    click to enlarge

  10. Because you may see the following error a few times during the download process. Each time it happens, click Retry. Eventually it’ll download.

    11. kde download error
    click to enlarge

  11. Once all of the downloads have completed, KDE will begin installing.

    12. kde installing in windows
    click to enlarge

  12. Don’t be surprised if a Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable package also installs.

    13. ms visual c++ redistributable pacakge installing

  13. Once everything has installed you’ll be presented with the final installation screen. Read it over, and then click Finish.

    14. kde instllation finishing
    click to enlarge

  14. Now navigate to the folder you opted to install KDE in (way back in step #2). Inside that folder you’ll find a subfolder titled bin. This is where all of the KDE applications are stored. You may want to change the folder to use the Details view, and sort by Type so you can determine which files are applications. Your choice.

    windows explorer displaying the kde programs and components
    click to enlarge

  15. Double-click an application to launch it. The screenshot below shows Konqueror, displaying the Google home page.

    16. Konqueror running in windows
    click to enlarge

  16. Amarok, the hugely popular music player/ripper/all-in-wonder, launched just fine for me, but I couldn’t get sound working (yet, I’ll update when I figure it out).

    17. amarok running in windows
    click to enlarge

  17. Kopete, an IM client, worked perfectly.

    18. kopete running in windows

  18. As did the text editor KWrite.

    19. kwrite running in windows
    click to enlarge

  19. Happy KDE’ing!

Update: for anyone missing phonon.dll, here it is.
  • http://thomasmurphy.tumblr.com/ Thomas Murphy

    If I wrote a small program C/C++ with KDE, and I wanted to compile it and run it under the Windows OS system, how would it assist me?

  • http://www.blaszta.com blaszta

    Interesting… Now I can run Quanta Plus in Windows :-)

  • Pingback: Life Clerks » Screen-by-Screen Guide to Installing KDE Apps in Windows [Screenshots]

  • Pat

    hi,

    before i make the effort, could you check, if the mpd output plugin for amarok is working?

    thanks,

    PAT

  • Dan Cardin

    i get missing file phonon.dll when i try to run a bunch of my files. and i cant seem to find anywhere to download it from.

  • http://www.simplehelp.net Ross McKillop

    @ Dan Cardin:

    I’ve attached phonon.dll in an email to you.

    If anyone else is missing files, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.

    Cheers,
    Ross

  • veer

    how much total space the KDE-install & the complete packages need on a HDD..? I wanted to give it a try , but only have like 3 GB of new programs allocated free space

  • aphexbr

    Strange, the screenshot seems to be an older build of Amarok 2 (currently in Alpha). That’s being ported to Windows anyway, so I wonder why that’s been chosen instead of the stable 1.4 release…

  • Nimeni

    Could I get the phonon.dll, too? I get the same error.

  • http://www.simplehelp.net Ross McKillop

    I’ve updated the post (very bottom) to include a copy of phonon.dll for anyone else that’s missing the file. Hope this helps – Ross

  • Tom

    I downloaded every package except for the language files, but I cant find Amarok to test it.
    Is it not included since it doesnt work properly?

  • http://www.lockergnome.com/digged Matt

    Awesome!

    This makes me want to reinstall Windows XP in Vmware fusion again to test it out.

    Great Guide!

  • Marc

    Hey, I wonder if SuperKaramba’s Liquid Weather ++ would run under this? Sadly, that’s the main app that I wish I could run on my XP. Hm… I know I can load Gnome Do under KDE, but it’s technically not a KDE app… I wonder if that would let me run SmoothWeather?

    Aw shucks, I’m tired of running StarDock’s ObjectDock just for the weather plug-in… there’s got to be a better way.

  • Billy DeVincentis

    I am also missing the phonon dll file, Can you please email to me?
    Thanks

  • http://bhp.org.ru/ Rizoen

    Так что делать если пишет, что нет phonon.dll, где взять и куда вставить?
    Это было переведено с помощью гугла.
    wndows xp pro 32 sp3 for x64 athlon
    So what to do if writes that there is no phonon.dll, where to get and where to insert?
    This was translated through Google.

  • Pingback: links for 2008-07-03 | Zero / Love

  • dan

    I am missing the phonon.dll too…

    could you please send one?

  • jaxusn

    Amarok isnt in my package list. any help?

  • Pingback: FuzzLinks.com » HowTo: Install KDE Programs in Windows

  • Pingback: Installing KDE 4 on Windows XP/Vista « Bubbling…

  • Pingback: WrapUp: Take Better Fireworks Photos, Auto-hide Opera Toolbars, and More

  • Pingback: Como rodar aplicativos de KDE no Windows | Tadeu's Blog

  • joe

    if that would be portable that would be the world for me!!!! just perfekt!!! (but still awesome)

  • robert schwedler

    I am missing the phonon.dll too…

    could you please send one?

  • Jeff Stelling

    How many times do you have to sit through the Download Failed message? I gave up after about ten attempts on vcredist or something. Not a great advertisement for KDE so far.

  • xyz

    Offline installation?

    Hello? It might sound nice but some of us would like to install this on systems NOT connected to the internet.

    Is it possible to download ALL of the KDE for Windows files and install them OFFLINE?

  • Pingback: Cómo Instalar y ejecutar aplicaciones KDE en Windows [Eng]

  • Martin

    The problem was that md5 sum for vcredist_x86.exe couldn’t be downloaded. But the file itself is located somewhere on microsoft server so it’s not kde fault (imho :-)
    I “solved” this by selecting ignore…

  • http://representz.blogspot.com Romain

    Hi,
    I tried installed the latest( 4.0.83) KDE installer on my lying around windows PC, but could not get it to complete the install :(

    It complains that c/Documents and Settings/Romain/Application Data/share is not writable to write the *rc files (Configuration file “”C:/Documents and Settings/Romain/Application Data”/share/config/konquerorrc” not writable. ) . but it is , i am admin , running it as admin, i checked that i can write into it.
    I even set the folder to 777 using Cygwin to no avail.

    Have you encountered the problem ?

  • Steve

    Tested it out. All working great. Just ignored the vcredist_x86.exe like Martin. I’m running it through a Vista virtual box session within XP. It all runs quick. Do get the old crash message but it doesn’t do anything. Thanks for the guide and the phonon.dll.

  • Pingback: Boycott Novell » Links 07/07/2008: Last Kernel RC, Fedora’s Automatix Equivalent

  • Pingback: Como instalar aplicaciones KDE en Windows | /* print “sin comentarios v1.5n” */ | El CoDiGo K

  • BG

    For some reason, Amarok does not appear in the installer, and I’ve selected the most recent one from the websie.

  • BG

    I, too, seem to be missing phonon.dll

    Any help?

  • Pingback: Austoon Daily » How to install and run KDE programs in Windows

  • Pingback: links for 2008-07-16 « Unisyc.

  • Pingback: Ejecutando programas de KDE en Windows | El Cofrecito

  • Pingback: Installare le applicazioni di KDE in Windows « marko’s weblog

  • Pingback: Installare le applicazioni KDE in Windows « DarkSun88’s World

  • Pingback: Duncan Mac-Vicar P. » Blog Archive » Kopete on Windows

  • Andy

    I have kde 4.1 installed on a w2k3 box and amarok running ok but no sound and I do have the phonon files installed any idea how to get the plugin enabled at all?

    cheers,
    Andy

  • http://www.xfire.com/blog/maraxush/ maraXush

    Hey, thanks ^^

  • Andy

    Hey has this been updated lately?
    I was looking to use quanta+ webdevelopment but it doesn’t appear in my menus any ideas?

    Andy

  • karim

    wo wo wo I thought this program enabled you to log into a full kde4 session instead of just using the kde4 programs. Either way this is AWESOME!

    I love dolphin. Too bad it doesn’t have a DOS (command prompt) panel the way linux has the terminal extention. Where whenever you click it types the DOS commands.

  • MumRah

    Is there away to install other kde or linux apps in kde for windows?

  • Elia

    Is it possible install KDar?
    I need it :)

    Hallo and best regards

    Elia Businaro

  • Andy

    has this been updated lately. yes I know I have asked the question before but I thought I would give it another ping.
    :-)

  • Pingback: How to install and run KDE programs in Windows - Domain Discussion Board

  • israel

    Excelente, muchas gracias una nueva experiencia nunca está por demás :D

  • Michael

    Akondai server fails to start do to missing mysql server. W/out akondai, a lot of kde apps fail (like kontact, kmail, kaddressbook, you know, the kde-pim suite.)

  • Pingback: KDE for Windows « kdenotes

  • Samuel

    But how to, if you want, uninstall it? And removing it’s traces…