How to Install Qlik Sense Desktop

Updated on:

April 17, 2026

By:

Madhav Bhandari

Use this tutorial to learn how to install Qlik Sense Desktop on your Windows computer.

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This tutorial shows how to install Qlik Sense Desktop using the setup file so you can start creating analytics apps on your machine. Notes:

You need local administrator privileges on your computer to install Qlik Sense Desktop.
Qlik Sense Desktop requires 4 GB of RAM minimum (more depending on data volumes), 5 GB of disk space, and .NET Framework 4.8.1 or higher.
After installation, apps are stored in Users{user}\Documents\Qlik\Sense, and you can customize this location during a custom installation.

Double-click the Qlik_Sense_Desktop_setup.exe file you downloaded to start the installation wizard.
Click Install if you want a standard installation with default settings, or click Custom Installation to specify your own installation and storage locations.
Read the license agreement, check the I accept the license agreement box, and click Next.
On the Ready to install screen, optionally select Create a desktop shortcut, select which extension bundles you want to install (dashboard and visualization bundles are optional), then click Next to begin the installation process.
If prompted, accept their license agreements for the bundles, and click Install.
When the Installation summary appears, click Finish to complete the installation and close the wizard.

📌 Why this matters

Installing Qlik Sense Desktop locally gives you a personal analytics workspace with no server setup required. Once installed, you have immediate access to Qlik's in-memory engine, which means fast data analysis even with large datasets. Desktop installation lets you build and test apps privately before sharing them, and you control all your data locally. The straightforward installation process means you can be creating your first analytics app within minutes of completing setup.

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