Installing R on a Windows Machine


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This page is based on the installation of R on a Windows 10 computer using the Firefox web browser, version 61.0.1 set to ask the user for the location to which downloads are to be saved. The process took place on August 13, 2018. The standard version of R at that time was 3.5.1. Please understand that web pages change, software changes, and installation systems change. Thus, what is recorded here, although true at the moment of recording, may have changed by the time you read this.

Also, as I hope is obvious, the images below have been annotated, in GREEN, to show you where you need to point and click.

To install R, we will go to the Comprehensive R Archive Network at the cran.r-project.org web site. As of May 22, 2022 that link was broken. Try the link alternative link to R install. This should open a page, the top of which should appear as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

Since we are trying to install R on a Windows machine, we will click on the "Download R for Windows" link on that page. Doing so should take us to a new page, the top of which is shown in Figure 2.

There are f0ur choices for us and for this course it will be enough to download and install the base system. Therefore, click on the base link on that page.

Figure 2

Selecting the base link in Figure 2 takes us to the page shown in Figure 3. There we want to select the Download R 3.5.1 for Windows option. Doing so will start the download process.
Figure 3

Once the download process starts then you may see any number of different things depending upon the browser that you are using and the settings for that browser. As noted above, this particular set of screen captures was done using the Firefox browser, and, that browser had been set allow the user to select the location for the downloaded file. In Figure 4 the system asks if it should save the file. We want to do this so click on the Save File button.
Figure 4

It is entrely possible that your bowser has not been set to ask where it should save the file. In that case you will not have to deal with Figure 4a. You can move directly to Figure 5. However, because the browser used here was set to ask where it should save any downloaded file, the following screen, shown in Figure 4a, popped up next. The value within the green oval in that Figure indicates that at this point the file would be saved to the Downloads under the name R-3.4.1-win.exe. This is is interesting, and atsome point we may interested in this location. However, for our work here we will just let the file be placed here. Therefore, lick on the Save button.
Figure 4a

Once the download has completed, you want to run the file that you have just downloaded. If you are using Firefox, then there is an icon on the bar at the top of the screen shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5

Click on that icon and Firefox will show you the list of downloaded files. In this case, those files appear in Figure 5a.
Figure 5a

You might notice that the little box tells us that the file download has been completed. If, however, we move the cursor into that small box, the text changes to Open File. We want to do that so we click on the file name, as shown in Figure 5b.
Figure 5b

We click on such a file to get the computer to "run" that file. That is exactly what we did to leave for Figure 5a.

Note that if you are using a different browser, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Chrome, etc., then there will be some way for you to do the same thing. For example, Chrome lists the downloaded files at the bottom of the screen. Even if you cannot find that similar way, you could use the File Explorer to find the file. Unless it was otherwise directed, the file will most likely, but not always, be in the Download directory.

Windows 10 seems to like to get a special verification that it is OK to do what we just asked it to do. Thus, on the machine used here, I was greeted by a screen that was bank except for the window shown in Figure 6. Naturally, we click on the Yes button.
Figure 6

Running the program opens a new window to ask our choice of language. This installation assumes that we want English. Therefore, click on the "OK" button as shown in Figure 7.
Figure 7

Now we start the real installation of R. Figure 8 provides the introduction to the installation process along with the License Agreement. We can move the slider down to read the entire agreement.
Figure 8

In Figure 11 (Figure 9 and Figure 10 have been removed frm this sequence) you might notice that I have read the document, moving the slider at the right of the window all the way to the bottom.
Figure 11

Once you are at the bottom, as in Figure 11, and you have read the material to your satisfaction, click on the "Next" button to go to Figure 12.

In Figure 12 the installation program asks for the location into which the program files are to be placed.
Figure 12

The default, and usual, location, namely, C:\Program Files\R\R-3.4.1, has already been provided. It is probably best just to leave it that way and just press the "Next" button to continue to Figure 13.

Figure 13 gives you the option to install all or just some of the components of the package. In most cases there is nothing wrong with just installing all of the components. However, there is a bit of waste in doing so.   Your computer is running either a 32-bit operating system or a 64-bit operating system. If you do not know which it is, or you just want to verify that what you "know" is correct, you can ask the computer for that information. [Look at this on Windows 10; Look at this on Windows 8; Look at this on Windows 7.]
If you are concerned about wasting a little disk space then you only need to install the version of R that aligns with the type of your operating system. Thus, if you are running a 64-bit operating system you could uncheck the 32-bit system in the option list in Figure 13. Similarly, if you are running a 32-bit operating system, then you could uncheck the 64-bit system in the option list shown in Figure 13.
Figure 13

The system I used was a 64-bit system so I have unchecked the 32-bit option, as shown in Figure 13a.
Figure 13a

Once the options have been appropriately set, click on the "Next" button to move to Figure 14.

In Figure 14 you are given the choice of setting the startup options. The default is to just use the standard settings, that is to not customize the settings. It is be perfectly fine to accept this option and that is what we will do by clicking on the Next button.
Figure 14

Figure 15 selects the "Start menu Folder". We will take the default by clicking on the Next button.
Figure 15

The screen shown in Figure 16 allows us to change the setting for the creation and location of shortcuts. Figure 16 does not have the option set to create a shortcut on the desktop.
Figure 16

I want to have this shortcut so I will check that box to produce Figure 16a. Just click on the "Next" button.
Figure 16a

With the options set as we want, just click on the "Next" button.

The installer starts the process, and as illustrated in Figure 17, it will keep you posted on the progess of the installation. In general, this is not a long process. Once it has completed the window shifts to that shown in Figure 18.
Figure 17

Figure 18 just lets us know that the installation process has completed. There is nothing to do here other than press the "Finish" button.
Figure 18

Once the installation process is complete, and assuming that you asked, back in Figure 13, to have both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions installed, you should find the R icon on your desktop. For the instllation traced here we asked for one system, the 64-bit system. Therefore we have the icon, shown in Figure 19, on the desktop. The legend below the icon identifies as the 64-bit system.
Figure 19

At this point we will try to at least run R. The machine I used to create this was running a 64-bit operating system, therefore we will double click on the R x64 3.2.1 named icon on the desktop to bring up the window shown in Figure 20. This is the openning "splash" screen that R shows whenever we start it. Note the region highlighted by the green box in Figure 20. This just confirms that we are indeed running the system that we thought we were. Reading further, toward the bottom, you will see that there are even hints on how to get a demo, how to get help, and even how to quit. We will just quit the system.
Figure 20

In this case we will quit by using the menu items at the top of the windowm Click on the File menu item to open the options pane shown in Figure 21.
Figure 21

We click on the Exit option to get out of the system.

However, quitting R is not a step to be taken lightly. Therefore, R takes this opportunity to ask if you are really serious (you could "Cancel" the action) and if you are serious, then do you want R to save the "workspace". Saving the workspace should allow you to restart R later and at least restore any values (i.e., work) that you have done to this point. We will talk about this in more detail in a later web page.
We have not done anything so we might as well just tell R not to save the workspace by clicking on the "No" button.
Figure 22

That closes R and ends the task of installing R on a Windows computer.

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©Roger M. Palay     Saline, MI 48176     August, 2018