This is Sky. "skywoof.com" is named for her. (^_^)I've been using and writing about Lazarus for many years, and the very similar Delphi for years before that. (A very quick scan of a few pages showed one of my Lazarus pages was from 2018.)
One reason I've stuck with Lazarus is that it is mature, with a great support community. There's also the fact that it declares early during the install process that the license allows you to create apps with any license you wish to stipulate, including proprietary apps.
In July 2025, I set the IDE up on a new Win 11 Pro computer, from scratch.
As a mature product, it should have installed easily... and it did.
I set it up and created a little "Hello World" program in 20 minutes. No nasty surprises. No hassles.
I went to the Lazarus homepage, clicked on the "Download Now" (vers 4 for Windows 64 bit... there's a drop-down for Linux, Mac, 32 bit Windows, etc. Even a special one for the Raspberry Pi's Linux.)
Dbl-clicked on the file that downloaded...
WHOA! Windows threw up a scary "Windows Protected Your Computer!" dialog with a big "Don't Install" button. And a little bitty line of text saying "more information". I clicked that. A "Run Anyway" button appeared. Clicked that, and that was the last nuisance out of the way.
I'd recommend that you let the system install the IDE and compiler where it wants to install it. But...
I would suggest you set up your own folder for the work you do with the IDE, i.e. your sourcecode, form designs, etc.
I used...
... Documents/ Prgming/
Laz/
Laz4_3-2-2_25705
... because I program in several languages. (But mostly Lazarus.) Hence the...
Documents/ Prgming/ Laz/
The Laz4_3-2-2_25705 folder will be for all the work I do with what I've just installed... Lazarus vers 4, running on the FPC vers 3.2.2, installed 05 Jly 2025.
Within THAT folder, I created a "25705_hellow_world_w" folder... a Wrapper folder for the last level of folder in folder, which is "25705_hello_world" (as before, no "w")...
And in THAT folder, I created my "Hello World".
That "strange", "excessive" use of folders in folders makes backing up your work as it progresses easy. (I just make a copy of the "25705_hello_world" folder from time to time, with BU and a datestamp added to the folder name. All of this within the wrapper folder, "25705_hellow_world_w".
You store your work as you wish! But the fact that it only took half of this not long block of this web page to describe the install process is, I hope encouraging!
On 6 Apr 19, I set about a fresh Lazarus install on a 64-bit Windows 10 machine. (Further down the page, you will see that the Apr 19 install wasn't my first, and learn "stuff" about updating existing installations, etc.
I had been, and plan to continue, using the 32-bit version of Lazarus, so that things I create will run on "any" system. (This choice may be based on misunderstandings. But it is How I Did Things.) (I'm sure the 64-bit Lazarus can compile for 32-bit systems, but I don't want the hassle, or to maintain two versions of things I write.
I also like to have things where **I** want them. This lets me do backups, see what's what, etc. Some software is more sympathetic with these longings that other. Lazarus is far from the worst I've dealt with.
At the very least, I want to keep the sourcecode, etc, of my projects in a subfolder of "Documents". The main Lazarus "system" software can be buried somewhere deep, if it makes everyone happy... but I would at least like to have third party add-ons where I will see them.
To this end, I have folders in Documents called "Programming". This is where I keep my project sourcecode, and when possible, 3rd party add ons. And within that "LazTKB" and within that "L32" (for projects created under the 32-bit compiler) and (at the same level) "3rdParty". (My initials are "TKB", and they don't seem to crop up with other meanings. This is MY Lazarus stuff, in other words.
In addition to the folders where the things I've created live, I try to put the "system" software for things I install in places of my choice. To that end, in my "Documents", I have a folder called "Prgms" for the system software of various things. Within that there's a folder "3rdParty", for packages I've installed but didn't write. Within that, I created, before staring the install, a folder called LazSys.
Yes... I like my folder names short. This can be a help at backup time.
In the past there have been various false starts. You can review those stories if you wish in the text further down the page. Until further notice, this is "The Tale Of the Fresh Install, L-32, Apr 19"
Before I went near the Lazarus website, I set up the folders just mentioned. I also looked in C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files (x86)... no Lazarus there at this stage.
Now I went to the Lazarus site. (At 6 Apr 19: https://www.lazarus-ide.org/index.php?page=downloads)
I went for "Windows (32 and 64 Bits) Direct download" (A Win 32 alone not being available)
Hurrah! Very early in the install it tells you the default install folder, and asks if you would like to use a different folder! I said "Yes! Use (Documents)/Prgms/3rdParty/LazSys".
At the "Select Components" step, I felt all that was there should be ticked. If you are short of space, you could probably skip the Help files.
The usual slight delay, with a good "progress" bar keeping me calm ensued, and in not very much time, I had a working Lazarus installation! Hurrah! Probably reckless, but I didn't even re-boot the system, before trying it out.
The first time you launch the IDE, you are offered a small "configure" session... but except in special circumstances, I don't think you need to... or even should... make changes.
There are 5 tabs, which can also be accessed via the "menu" on the left.
After a glance through the tabs, which I doubt you need to bother with, I just clicked the "Start IDE" button.
... and up came "Good Old Lazarus"!
I did a quick "Hello World"
It was AFTER I'd done that that it struck me... had I created a 32-bit app, or a 64-bit app? I was working on a 64 bit machine. But, as I said somewhere, I can forgo the sexiness of a 64-bit app to have a "one size fits all" result.
I found my answer in Project/ Project Options- Compiler Options- Config and Target. I that, a "Win32 qui app" box was ticked. Whew. Good!
Well behaved program that it is, the Lazarus IDE did NOT create "Lazarus" folders in the "usual" places. (C: root, C:Windows, C:Program Files, or C:Proigram Files (x32)). Don't you love open source software where the authors can't take advantage of a special relationship with the secret protocols buried in a proprietary OS?
----------
This is the promised "further notice", this is The End Of "The Tale Of the Fresh Install, L-32, Apr 19"
What's above is probably all anyone needs to read, except maybe some of the ordinary "footer" stuff at the bottom. (How to contact me, etc.)
The rest of this page, down to the footer section, is the remains of this page before the April 2019 extension... which is above here.
I've left the rest, because it talks about various things. Not as "mainstream" as the above... but your question might not be mainstream!
Note also that the following has not had a heavy edit. Bits may be dated. But they're worth what you've paid for them!
--------------------------
Back on 14 Feb 17, I set about updating the Lazarus installation on my 64-bit Windows 7 machine. (The instructions here will also serve people wanting to install the IDE for the first time.)
I had been, and plan to continue, using the 32-bit version of Lazarus, so that things I create will run on "any" system. (This choice may be based on misunderstandings. But it is How I Did Things.) (I'm sure the 64-bit Lazarus can compile for 32-bit systems, but I don't want the hassle, or to maintain two versions of things I write.
I closed everything "Lazarus" that was running on the machine.
I went to the root of my C: drive, where I found two folders: "lazarus" and "lazarus32"
I made COPIES of each, naming them "lazarus-ver1-0 as at 2017feb-BU" and "lazarus32-ver1-0 as at 2017feb-BU". (Using those to revert to what I had if the update goes bad will probably be next to impossible, but having them at least gives me something I can try!
These SHOULD just be the Lazarus system files. I try to keep all of my work in a folder in "My Documents".
I left the original folders in place, in case the Lazarus installer is clever, and will pick up my old preference settings.
Went to the main Lazarus page. Clicked through to the downloads. Went for "Windows (32 and 64 Bits) Direct download", there being no option for just the 32-bit Lazarus. (If there even is such a beast!).. which started a big download of "lazarus-1.6.2-fpc-3.0.0-win32.exe"... the "win32" in that was... "music to my eyes"? What would the right expression be?
Once the file was downloaded, I moved it to where I keep such things. It was an .exe file. I ran it directly from my "store". It didn't need unzipping; was self-extracting.
Very promising start! Early in the install, it offered the option of a "parallel install". That's a dangerous business... probably NOT what you want, unless you are an expert. (In which case, I don't know what you will get from this "getting started" page, but if you spot any errors I'd be grateful to hear from you!)
It also proposed installing the software in C:lazarus32. I tend these days not to "fight" such things. Too often, it leads to tears. Note: If you are in the situation I was in, if you are installing over a previous installation, you too may be about to overwrite what you had. (That's why I took the copy!
I got a message I didn't know what to do with: It reported, after uninstalling the old instance, that C:\lazarus32 was not empty. (There was a folder called "Examples" left behind.) I elected to leave it there, and proceeded.
More Good Stuff! I was allowed to CHOOSE whether previous config files would be retained or wiped. I elected to wipe. You may not feel so inclined... it is a judgement thing.
Install completed without any worrying incidents.
The old C;\lazarus folder had very little in it, and none of the date-stamps had changed. I renamed it "lazarus-maybe scraps no longer needed Feb 17".
Fired up the new Lazarus to do a quick "Hello World"
... which led to a chance to do some config work when launched. I changed nothing... but I looked at all the things I could have changed. The defaults seemed fine. Likely a "do once" chore. With settings which can be changed later, if I don't get them right the first time.
Built, ran, my little test. No surprises.
I'd installed version 1.6.2, Date 2016-11-12, FPC version 3.0.0
The "as installed" component palette had 15 tabs...
Standard Additional Common Controls Dialogs Data Controls Data Access System Misc LazControls SynEdit RTTI IPro Chart SQLdb Pascal Script
Whew!... a little daunting. Maybe I should explore these a bit before looking for additional component libraries! (Joke. Who was ever happy with what they have?)
All of this arose, for me, because I wanted, I thought, to use Synapse for some TCP/IP projects. But always use native, if you can... so the "IPro" tab caught my eye. Limited searching on the 'net turned up: "Q: Can these be used with a specified URL to display the corresponding page in a form? If so, how? A: Afaik no. You need some networking components to download the files first."
So... onward. "It worked". What about my previous Lazarus projects?
Picked one or two at random, tried loading, compiling.
Worked fine! Hurrah! (Didn't re-create the C:\lazarus folder, by the way, or complain because it had "disappeared".)
I have another set of "install" notes, which I wrote a long time ago. I doubt they have anything of use in them now, but if you are really struggling to get an answer to something, there might be clues in those old notes.
Search across all my sites with the Google search button at the top of the page which will open in a new tab if you click this link.
Or...
Search SheepdogGuides.com site...
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What's New at the Site / / Advanced search
This search tool (free to me and to you) is provided by FreeFind.com... whom I've used since 2000. I'm happy with them... obviously!
Unlike the clever Google search engine, FreeFind's merely looks for the words you type, so....
* Spell them properly.
* Don't bother with "How do I get rich?" That will merely return pages with "how", "do", "I"....
Disclosure: FreeFind tells me what people have searched for. It doesn't tell me your personal details. (If someone would "spy" on you, wouldn't they also feel free to lie in a "privacy statement"? Not to say I'm not lying... how can you tell?... but to say "What are privacy statements worth?".
Please also note that I also have other sites, and that the FreeFind search will not include results from them. They each have their own site-specific search buttons.
My "wywtk.com" site...WhatYouWantToKnow
My "skywoof.com" site...
This is Sky. "skywoof.com" is named for her. (^_^)
And there are links from those pages to my SheepdogGuides.com, Arduserver.com and Flat-Earth-Academy.com sites, which are also controlled by me.
There's also my oldest-still-running site: https://www.arunet.co.uk/tkboyd/ Have a laugh at some dated material! It may be dated in styling, but not all of the content is obsolete. Some of what was there is now at https://skywoof.com/aru/index2.htm
(My Compuserve site is, alas, history.)
You can't "play" all day... learn to use the Libre Office/ Open Office database. Free. Multi-platform.
The Arduino- LOTS of fun, for not much money. And beginner (intelligent beginner) friendly. And good pursuit for kids. Combine programming and electronics!
Designing printed circuit boards the KiCad way. Free. Multi-platform. Long established. PCB-fab houses take native KiCad files.
And lastly... Making maps... how we did it before GPS Indulge me? This discusses a worthwhile, fun (if presented intelligently) activity for kids, which can be undertaken on many levels... a simple 20 minutes, or weeks of engaging activity. (Also known to divert susceptible adults.)
To email this page's editor, Tom Boyd.... Editor's email address. Suggestions welcomed! Please cite the page's URL, "SheGui/lut/lt0inst17feb.htm".
Page has been tested for compliance with INDUSTRY (not MS-only) standards, using the free, publicly accessible validator at validator.w3.org. It passes in some important ways, but still needs work to fully meet HTML 5 expectations. (Copy your page's URL to your clipboard before clicking on the icon, so you can easily paste it into the validator when it has loaded.)-->
AND it has been tested with...
Why is there a script or hidden graphic on this page? I have my web-traffic monitored for me by eXTReMe tracker. They offer a free tracker. If you want to try one, check out their site. Neither my webpages nor my programs incorporate spyware, but if the page has Google ads, they also involve scripts.
. . . . . P a g e . . . E n d s . . . . .