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Installing Iced is straightforward using Cargo, Rust’s package manager. This guide will help you set up Iced with the appropriate features for your use case.

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Prerequisites

Before installing Iced, ensure you have:
  • Rust 1.92 or later - Install from rustup.rs
  • Cargo - Comes with Rust installation
  • A code editor with Rust support (VS Code with rust-analyzer recommended)
Iced requires Rust edition 2024, which is available in Rust 1.92+. Make sure your toolchain is up to date with rustup update.

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Basic Installation

Add Iced to your Cargo.toml:
Cargo.toml
[dependencies]
iced = "0.15.0-dev"
This installs Iced with the default feature set, which includes:
  • wgpu - GPU-accelerated renderer (Vulkan, Metal, DX12, OpenGL, WebGPU)
  • tiny-skia - Software renderer as fallback
  • crisp - Pixel snapping for sharp edges
  • hinting - Text rendering hints
  • web-colors - Web-compatible color blending
  • thread-pool - Default futures executor
  • linux-theme-detection - System theme detection on Linux
  • x11 and wayland - Linux display server backends

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Choosing an Executor

Required: You must enable at least one executor feature. Without one, your project will not compile.
Iced requires a futures executor to handle asynchronous operations. Choose one: 
[dependencies]
iced = { version = "0.15.0-dev", default-features = true }

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Renderer Configuration

Iced supports multiple rendering backends. Choose based on your needs:

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GPU-Accelerated (wgpu)

Recommended for most applications. Provides hardware acceleration via Vulkan, Metal, or DirectX:
Cargo.toml
[dependencies]
iced = { version = "0.15.0-dev", features = ["wgpu"] }

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Software Renderer (tiny-skia)

For systems without GPU support or when a pure software fallback is needed:
Cargo.toml
[dependencies]
iced = { version = "0.15.0-dev", features = ["tiny-skia"] }

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Both Renderers

The default configuration includes both for maximum compatibility:
Cargo.toml
[dependencies]
iced = { version = "0.15.0-dev", features = ["wgpu", "tiny-skia"] }

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Feature Flags

Enable additional widgets and capabilities as needed:

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Widget Features

Cargo.toml
[dependencies]
iced = { version = "0.15.0-dev", features = [
    "image",      # Image widget with built-in codecs
    "svg",        # SVG widget
    "canvas",     # Canvas widget for custom drawing
    "qr_code",    # QR code generator widget
    "markdown",   # Markdown rendering widget
    "lazy",       # Lazy widgets for performance
] }
The image feature includes default codecs (PNG, JPEG, etc.). Use image-without-codecs if you want to provide your own codec selection for a smaller binary size.

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Development Features

Cargo.toml
[dependencies]
iced = { version = "0.15.0-dev", features = [
    "debug",        # Debug overlay (press F12)
    "time-travel",  # Time-travel debugging (experimental)
    "tester",       # UI testing tools
] }

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Advanced Features

Cargo.toml
[dependencies]
iced = { version = "0.15.0-dev", features = [
    "advanced",          # Advanced APIs for custom widgets
    "highlighter",       # Syntax highlighting
    "selector",          # Widget selector module
    "advanced-shaping",  # Advanced text shaping (HarfBuzz)
] }

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Platform-Specific Configuration

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Web (WASM)

For web targets, use the WebGL backend and appropriate features:
Cargo.toml
[target.'cfg(target_arch = "wasm32")'.dependencies]
iced = { version = "0.15.0-dev", features = ["webgl", "fira-sans"] }
The fira-sans feature embeds the Fira Sans font, which is useful for WASM builds where system fonts aren’t available.

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Linux Display Servers

Linux Required: You must enable at least one of x11 or wayland on Linux platforms.
Cargo.toml
# Both X11 and Wayland (default)
[dependencies]
iced = { version = "0.15.0-dev", features = ["x11", "wayland"] }

# X11 only
[dependencies]
iced = { version = "0.15.0-dev", default-features = false, features = ["x11", "wgpu", "thread-pool"] }

# Wayland only
[dependencies]
iced = { version = "0.15.0-dev", default-features = false, features = ["wayland", "wgpu", "thread-pool"] }

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Minimal Configuration

For the smallest binary size, disable default features and enable only what you need:
Cargo.toml
[dependencies]
iced = { 
    version = "0.15.0-dev", 
    default-features = false,
    features = [
        "wgpu",        # Or "tiny-skia"
        "thread-pool", # Or "tokio" or "smol"
    ]
}
For maximum functionality, enable all features:
Cargo.toml
[dependencies]
iced = { 
    version = "0.15.0-dev",
    features = [
        "wgpu",
        "tiny-skia",
        "image",
        "svg",
        "canvas",
        "qr_code",
        "markdown",
        "lazy",
        "debug",
        "highlighter",
        "advanced",
    ]
}

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Verification

Verify your installation by running: 
cargo build
If the build succeeds, Iced is properly configured. You’re now ready to create your first application!

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