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Install

QRiS runs as a plugin within QGIS, so you will need to install QGIS first. QGIS is free, open-source, and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. Two release types are available:

  • Long Term Release (LTR): more stable, recommended for most users
  • Experimental: newer features, less tested (Don't use these!)
info

Starting with QRiS version 1.3 (August 2026), QRiS is now compatible with both QGIS 3 and QGIS 4! The planned schedule is to make QGIS 4 the LTR release at the end of October 2026. At that time, we will make QGIS 4 the recommended version for QRiS.

QGIS releases can vary significantly between versions and operating systems. We recommend using the following versions of QGIS for QRiS:

On Windows we recommend using one of the following releases. Note that the current QGIS LTR is 3.44, but this is not one of the recommended versions for QRiS.

Version 3.34.4

QGIS Version 3.34.4 for Windows

Version 3.38.0

QGIS Version 3.38.0 LTR for Windows

Version 3.40.0

QGIS Version 3.40.0 LTR for Windows

Several QGIS releases on MacOS have omitted certain Python packages that are used by QRiS. Notably, MatPlotLib was missing from QGIS 4.0 on MacOS. QGIS version 4.2.1 fixes this issue and is the recommended version for QRiS on MacOS.

QGIS 4.2.1

macOS version to use

How to Install QRiS

QRiS can be installed from the QGIS Plugin Manager. However, you must have the latest version of Riverscapes Viewer installed before installing QRiS. To install QRiS, follow these steps:

  1. First, verify installation or install the Riverscapes Viewer Plugin:

    • In the QGIS menubar (top of page), go to Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins.

    • Search for Riverscapes Viewer and click the Install button (should take less than 30 seconds). This is a required dependency for QRiS.

riverscapes install

  1. Then, install QRiS:

    • Go to the same Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins and search for QRiS.

    • Click the Install button (should take less than 30 seconds).

qris install

Updating QRiS

You can update QRiS at any time after installation through the QGIS Plugin Manager. Here's how:

  1. Go to Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins.

  2. Select QRiS from the list of installed plugins.

  3. Click the Update button.

qris update plugin manager

For automatic updates, you can configure the Plugin Manager settings to Check for Updates on Startup. When enabled:

  • QGIS will notify you periodically (every 3 days) upon startup if any installed plugin, including QRiS, has an available update.

  • To apply the update, simply click the Update button that appears on the blue taskbar in the map panel.

tip

Tip: To ensure you always have the latest features and improvements, regularly check for updates to QRiS and its dependencies. At the same time you update QRiS, it is a good idea to also update resources in the Riverscapes Viewer. This is where updates to symblogogy and updates to the Protocol Library.

qris update startup

qris update home

Installing Older or Pre-Release Versions of QRiS

QGIS is constantly issuing new releases. We attempt to make QRiS forward compatible, but occasionally there are bugs that emerge from our QGIS dependencies in newer releases. If you need to install an older version of QRiS, you can do so by downloading the specific version from the QRiS GitHub Releases page.

tip

For troubleshooting, you can have multiple instances of QGIS installed on your computer and they will all attempt to load the QRiS plugin (and other plugins) across the multiple versions. Moreover, if you uninstall one of the versions of QGIS, you will notice your plugins still appear in the other versions of QGIS.

Releases Page

Once the version is dowloaded locally onto your device, you can install the plugin in QGIS by going to Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins > Install from ZIP and selecting the ZIP file.

Install-ZIP