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Zeal is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Choose your preferred installation method below.

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System Requirements

Before installing Zeal, ensure your system meets these requirements:
  • Qt version 5.15.2 or higher (Qt 6.2.0+ also supported)
  • Qt WebEngine Widgets module
  • libarchive for docset extraction
  • SQLite for search indexing
  • X11 platforms only: Qt X11 Extras and xcb-util-keysyms
Most binary distributions include all required dependencies. These requirements only matter when building from source.

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Windows

1

Download the installer

Download the latest Windows installer from the official download page.Zeal provides both installer and portable versions for Windows.
2

Run the installer

Double-click the downloaded .exe file and follow the installation wizard.The installer will set up Zeal and create desktop shortcuts automatically.
3

Launch Zeal

Start Zeal from the Start menu or desktop shortcut.
On Windows 10 and 11, Zeal automatically uses the Fusion style for proper dark mode support.

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Protocol Handlers (Optional)

To enable dash:// and dash-plugin:// protocol handlers for IDE integration: 
zeal.exe --register
To unregister protocol handlers: 
zeal.exe --unregister

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Linux

Zeal is available through multiple package managers and distribution formats. 
# Install from your distribution's repository
sudo apt update
sudo apt install zeal
The Flatpak and AppImage versions are self-contained and include all dependencies.

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macOS

Zeal can be installed on macOS using Homebrew or by downloading the binary directly. 
# Install using Homebrew
brew install --cask zeal

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Building from Source

For developers or users who want the latest features, you can build Zeal from source.
1

Install build dependencies

Install the required build tools and libraries:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential cmake extra-cmake-modules \
  libarchive-dev libsqlite3-dev ninja-build \
  qtbase5-dev qtwebengine5-dev \
  libqt5x11extras5-dev libxcb-keysyms1-dev
2

Clone the repository

Clone the Zeal source code from GitHub:
git clone https://github.com/zealdocs/zeal.git
cd zeal
3

Configure with CMake

Create a build directory and configure the project:
cmake -B build
  • ZEAL_USE_QT5 - Force Qt 5 (default: auto-detect Qt 6, fallback to Qt 5)
  • ZEAL_RELEASE_BUILD - Build as a tagged release (default: dev build)
  • BUILD_TESTING - Build the testing suite (default: ON)
Example with options:
cmake -B build -DZEAL_USE_QT5=ON -DBUILD_TESTING=OFF
4

Build Zeal

Compile the project:
cmake --build build
This will compile Zeal and all its components.
5

Run Zeal (optional install)

You can run Zeal directly from the build directory:
./build/bin/zeal
Or install it system-wide:
sudo cmake --install build
Development builds include a version suffix like -dev.123+abc1234. Only tagged releases have clean version numbers.

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Qt Version Support

Zeal supports both Qt 5 and Qt 6:
  • Qt 5: Minimum version 5.15.2
  • Qt 6: Minimum version 6.2.0
The build system automatically detects the available Qt version. Qt 6 is preferred if available, with fallback to Qt 5.
For detailed build instructions and platform-specific notes, visit the Zeal wiki.

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Verifying Installation

After installation, verify Zeal is working: 
# Check version
zeal --version

# View help
zeal --help
You should see output showing the Zeal version: 
Zeal 0.8.0

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Next Steps

Now that Zeal is installed, learn how to use it:

Quick Start

Download docsets and start searching documentation

Downloading Docsets

Learn how to download and manage documentation sets

Keyboard Shortcuts

Configure global shortcuts for quick access

Command Line Usage

Use Zeal from the command line

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Troubleshooting

If Zeal fails to start with a missing Qt WebEngine error:
# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install qtwebengine5-dev

# Fedora
sudo dnf install qt5-qtwebengine
Zeal requires CMake 3.16.3 or higher:
cmake --version
Update CMake if necessary from cmake.org.
Zeal automatically uses the Fusion style on Windows 10/11 for dark mode support. If dark mode isn’t working:
  • Ensure you’re running Windows 10 or later
  • Check Windows Settings → Personalization → Colors → Choose your mode
  • Restart Zeal after changing Windows theme

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