Installing the GUI

The Open Ephys GUI works equally well on Windows, Linux, and macOS, so which platform you choose is mostly up to you. However, there are some plugins (such as Neuropixels) that are currently only available for Windows. We recommend reading through the documentation of any Plugins you plan to use to find out about potential limitations.

Windows

Via installer (recommended)

1. Click the “Windows” link on this page to download the installer for the latest version of the GUI.

2. Double-click the downloaded executable to launch the installer.

3. Follow the instructions within the installer.

4. The GUI will be installed in C:\Program Files\Open Ephys\open-ephys.exe.

Via .zip file

1. Download a .zip file for any previous release via this link: https://openephys.jfrog.io/ui/native/GUI-binaries/Release/windows/

2. Drag and drop the downloaded and unzipped folder to the location of your choice, and rename it “Open Ephys”

3. Run FrontPanelUSB-DriverOnly-4.4.0.exe to install the Open Ephys acquisition board driver.

4. Double-click the open-ephys executable to run the application.

Note

If this is your first time running the GUI on a particular machine, you will need to install the Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022 redistributable package before opening the application. This only applies to the .zip download, as this package will be added automatically when using the Windows installer.

Linux

Via installer (Ubuntu only)

1. Click the “Linux” link on this page to download the .deb file for the latest version of the GUI.

2. Double-click on the .deb file, and enter your password when prompted.

3. The GUI will be installed in /usr/local/bin/open-ephys-gui.

4. To launch, click “Show Applications” and search for “Open Ephys GUI.”

5. To uninstall, type sudo dpkg --remove open-ephys in a terminal window.

Via .zip file (all distros)

1. Download a .zip file for any previous release via this link: https://openephys.jfrog.io/ui/native/GUI-binaries/Release/linux/

2. Drag and drop the downloaded and unzipped folder to the location of your choice, and rename it “Open Ephys GUI”

3. Open a terminal and set your working directory to the folder you just renamed.

4. Enter sudo cp 40-open-ephys.rules /etc/udev/rules.d followed by your password.

5. Enter service udev restart on Ubuntu/Debian or sudo udevadm control --reload-rules on Fedora/CentOS/Gentoo to allow the GUI to communicate with the Open Ephys acquisition board.

6. Double-click the open-ephys executable (or enter ./open-ephys in the terminal) to run the application.

macOS

Via DMG (recommended)

1. Click the “macOS” link on this page to download the DMG file for the latest version of the GUI.

2. Double-click on the downloaded file to open it.

3. Drag open-ephys to the “Applications” folder.

4. Double-click on the open-ephys app bundle to launch the GUI.

Via .zip file

1. Download a .zip file for any previous release via this link: https://openephys.jfrog.io/ui/native/GUI-binaries/Release/mac/

2. Drag and drop the downloaded and unzipped folder to the location of your choice, and rename it “Open Ephys”

3. Double-click open-ephys to run the application.