1 Getting Started

1.1 Introduction

RStudio Desktop provides the RStudio IDE as a native desktop application for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

This manual describes RStudio Desktop Professional Edition which adds the following enhancements to the open-source version of RStudio Desktop:

  • A commercial license for organizations not able to use AGPL software
  • Access to priority RStudio support
  • Tools for license activation and management
  • RStudio Professional Database Drivers for connecting to many of the most popular databases

1.2 Prerequisites

RStudio Desktop requires a previous installation of R version 3.0.1 or higher. If you don’t already have R, download it from https://cran.rstudio.com/. A 64-bit version of R is required.

1.3 Installation

1.3.1 Microsoft Windows

RStudio Pro for Windows requires a 64-bit edition of Microsoft Windows 7 or newer.

1.3.1.1 Installer

Download the self-extracting installer (.exe) and execute it. Follow the prompts in the setup wizard. Administrator access is required to complete the installation. The installer will create a shortcut for RStudio and an Add/Remove Programs entry for uninstall.

1.3.1.2 Zipfile Option

A zip file may be downloaded instead of the self-extracting installer. Download and extract the .zip to any location. RStudio may then be run directly from that location via rstudio.exe (in the bin folder).

1.3.2 Mac

RStudio for Mac requires macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or newer. Download the disk image (.dmg) and open it. Drag the RStudio icon to Applications then eject the disk image once complete. To uninstall, move RStudio from where it was installed to the trash.

1.3.3 Linux

RStudio produces binary packages targeting the following 64-bit Linux desktop distros. Download the appropriate package and install using system tools.

Linux Distro RStudio package format
Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty deb
Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial deb
Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic deb
RedHat/CentOS 7 Fedora rpm
OpenSUSE/SLES 12 rpm
OpenSUSE 15 rpm
Debian 9+ deb

Linux desktop users may need to import RStudio’s public code-signing key prior to installation, depending on the operating system’s security policy.

1.4 Activation

When a user first starts RStudio it will activate an initial evaluation period during which the product is fully usable. After the evaluation period expires, the product will need to be activated with a license to continue using it.

1.4.1 Viewing License Status

Use Help/Manage License menu to display the Manage RStudio License dialog and view the amount of time remaining in the evaluation.

The license status can also be viewed from the About dialog.

1.4.2 License Activation

After purchasing a license you will either receive a license file (.lic) or a license key. Use the Manage License dialog and use “Select license file…” or “Activate with license key…” and follow the instructions.

Additional details on license management (including discussions of offline activation, floating licenses, and activating through a proxy server) can be found in the License Management section.