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# Deploying Qt Applications

This document lists the platform-specific files needed to distribute Qt applications. We do not include any compiler-specific files that may also be required. (See also, Window System-specific Notes.)

- Static Qt Applications
- Dynamic Qt Applications

- Distributing Plugins

- Dynamic Dialogs

Also see the "deployment" articles in Qt Quarterly:

- Deploying Applications on Mac OS X
- Deploying Applications on Windows
- Deploying Applications on X11

## Static Qt Applications

To distribute static Qt applications, you need the following file for all platforms:

- your application's executable

## Dynamic Qt Applications

To distribute dynamic Qt applications, you will need the following files for all platforms:

- application executable
- the Qt library

The Qt library must either be in the same directory as the application executable or in a directory which is included in the system library path.

The library is provided by the following platform specific files:

Platform | File
--- | ---
Windows | `qt[version].dll`
Unix/Linux | `libqt[version].so`
Mac | `libqt[version].dylib`

version includes the three version numbers.

### Distributing Plugins

You must include any plugin files required by the application.

Plugins must be put into a subdirectory under a directory known to Qt as a plugin directory. The subdirectory must have the name of the plugin category (e.g. `styles`, `sqldrivers`, `designer`, etc.).

Qt searches in the following directories for plugin categories:

- Application specific plugin paths
- Build-directory of Qt
- The application directory

Application specific plugin paths can be added using QCoreApplication::addLibraryPath(). The build-directory of Qt is hardcoded in the Qt library and can be changed as a part of the installation process.

## Dynamic Dialogs

For dynamic dialogs if you use QWidgetFactory, you need the following files for all platforms:

- The same files as used for dynamic Qt applications
- The QUI Library

The QUI library is provided by the following platform specific files:

Platform | File
--- | ---
Windows | `qui.lib`
Unix/Linux | `libqui.so`
Mac | `libqui.dylib`

The QUI library must either be in the same directory as the application executable or in a directory which is included in the system library path.