> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/dolphin-emu/dolphin/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Installation

> Install Dolphin Emulator on Windows, Linux, macOS, or Android

Dolphin can be installed on Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android devices. Choose your platform below and follow the installation instructions.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Windows">
    ## Installing on Windows

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Download Dolphin">
        Visit the [official Dolphin website](https://dolphin-emu.org/) and download the latest version for Windows. Dolphin is available as:

        * **Installer version** - NSIS installer that integrates with Windows
        * **Portable version** - Extracted archive that can be run from any location
      </Step>

      <Step title="Install or extract">
        **For installer version:**

        * Run the downloaded installer
        * Follow the installation wizard
        * Dolphin will be added to your Start Menu

        **For portable version:**

        * Extract the ZIP archive to your desired location
        * No installation required
      </Step>

      <Step title="First launch">
        Launch Dolphin from the Start Menu (installer) or by running `Dolphin.exe` from the extracted folder (portable).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Install Visual C++ Redistributables (if needed)">
        Dolphin requires the Visual C++ Redistributables. If you encounter errors on launch, download and install the latest [Visual C++ Redistributables](https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe) from Microsoft.
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Note>
      Windows 10 1903 or higher is required. Dolphin targets the latest MSVC shipped with Visual Studio or Build Tools.
    </Note>

    ### Uninstalling on Windows

    * **Installer version**: Uninstall through Windows Settings > Apps & Features
    * **Portable version**: Simply delete the extracted directory

    <Warning>
      If you plan to completely remove Dolphin, you may also want to delete the user data directory located at `Documents\Dolphin Emulator` to remove save files, settings, and cached data.
    </Warning>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Linux">
    ## Installing on Linux

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Choose installation method">
        Linux users have several options:

        * **Download from website** - Pre-built packages for Ubuntu and other distributions
        * **Build from source** - Latest development version
        * **Package manager** - Available in some distribution repositories (may be outdated)
      </Step>

      <Step title="Install dependencies">
        For building from source, install required dependencies. On Ubuntu/Debian:

        ```bash theme={null}
        sudo apt install git cmake pkg-config gcc g++ libavcodec-dev libavformat-dev \
        libavutil-dev libswscale-dev libevdev-dev libusb-1.0-0-dev libxrandr-dev \
        libxi-dev libpangocairo-1.0-0 qt6-base-dev qt6-base-private-dev libqt6svg6-dev \
        libbluetooth-dev libasound2-dev libpulse-dev
        ```

        Many libraries are bundled with Dolphin and will be used if system versions aren't found.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Clone and build (for source installation)">
        ```bash theme={null}
        git clone https://github.com/dolphin-emu/dolphin.git
        cd dolphin
        git submodule update --init --recursive
        mkdir build
        cd build
        cmake ..
        make -j $(nproc)
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Install to system or run locally">
        **Global installation (requires root):**

        ```bash theme={null}
        sudo make install
        ```

        **Local development build (no root required):**

        ```bash theme={null}
        cd build
        ln -s ../../Data/Sys Binaries/
        ./Binaries/dolphin-emu
        ```

        **Portable build (for external storage):**

        ```bash theme={null}
        cp -r ../Data/Sys/ Binaries/
        touch Binaries/portable.txt
        ```
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Note>
      Dolphin requires a recent version of GCC or Clang with C++20 support. CMake will inform you if your compiler is too old.
    </Note>

    ### Uninstalling on Linux

    If you installed globally, run from the build directory:

    ```bash theme={null}
    cat install_manifest.txt | xargs -d '\n' rm
    ```

    For local or portable builds, simply delete the build directory.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="macOS">
    ## Installing on macOS

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Download Dolphin">
        Visit the [official Dolphin website](https://dolphin-emu.org/) and download the latest version for macOS.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Install the application">
        * Open the downloaded DMG file
        * Drag Dolphin.app to your Applications folder
        * Launch Dolphin from Applications
      </Step>

      <Step title="Grant security permissions">
        On first launch, you may need to:

        * Right-click Dolphin.app and select "Open"
        * Click "Open" in the security dialog
        * Grant any requested permissions for controller access
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Note>
      macOS 11.0 Big Sur or higher is required for the latest Dolphin releases.
    </Note>

    ### Building from source on macOS

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Install dependencies">
        Install Xcode Command Line Tools and CMake:

        ```bash theme={null}
        xcode-select --install
        brew install cmake
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Clone and prepare">
        ```bash theme={null}
        git clone https://github.com/dolphin-emu/dolphin.git
        cd dolphin
        git submodule update --init --recursive
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Build single architecture">
        Build for your current architecture:

        ```bash theme={null}
        mkdir build
        cd build
        cmake ..
        make -j $(sysctl -n hw.logicalcpu)
        ```

        The application bundle will be created in `./Binaries`.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Build universal binary (optional)">
        To build a universal binary supporting both x64 and ARM:

        ```bash theme={null}
        mkdir build
        cd build
        python ../BuildMacOSUniversalBinary.py
        ```

        Universal binaries will be available in the `universal` folder.

        <Note>
          Building universal binaries requires installation of library dependencies for both architectures. Run `python BuildMacOSUniversalBinary.py --help` for details.
        </Note>
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    ### Uninstalling on macOS

    Simply delete Dolphin.app from your Applications folder. To remove user data, delete `~/Library/Application Support/Dolphin`.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Android">
    ## Installing on Android

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Check device compatibility">
        Verify your device meets the requirements:

        * Android 5.0 Lollipop or higher
        * 64-bit processor (ARMv8 or x86-64)
        * OpenGL ES 3.0 or higher GPU support

        <Warning>
          Dolphin can only be installed on devices that satisfy these requirements. Installation will fail on unsupported devices.
        </Warning>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Download from Google Play Store">
        Search for "Dolphin Emulator" in the Google Play Store and install it, or download the APK from the [official Dolphin website](https://dolphin-emu.org/).
      </Step>

      <Step title="Grant permissions">
        On first launch, grant the required storage permissions to allow Dolphin to access your game files.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Configure game directory">
        Set up your game directory by:

        * Opening Dolphin's settings
        * Adding the folder containing your game files
        * Dolphin will scan and display compatible games
      </Step>
    </Steps>

    <Note>
      Performance varies heavily with driver quality. Devices with desktop OpenGL feature support are recommended for best performance. See the [driver quality blog post](https://dolphin-emu.org/blog/2013/09/26/dolphin-emulator-and-opengl-drivers-hall-fameshame/) for details.
    </Note>

    ### Building for Android from source

    See [AndroidSetup.md](https://github.com/dolphin-emu/dolphin/blob/master/AndroidSetup.md) in the source repository for detailed Android development instructions.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Set up Android development environment">
        Install Android Studio and set up the Android SDK and NDK.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Clone repository">
        ```bash theme={null}
        git clone https://github.com/dolphin-emu/dolphin.git
        cd dolphin
        git submodule update --init --recursive
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Build with Android Studio">
        * Import the Gradle project located in `./Source/Android`
        * The Gradle script will run a CMake build automatically while building the Java code
        * Build and run on your device or emulator
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Next steps

Once you've installed Dolphin, head over to the [Quick start guide](/quickstart) to learn how to run your first game.