System Requirements

NetLogo runs on almost any current computer.

If you have any trouble with NetLogo not working, write bugs@ccl.northwestern.edu.

System Requirements: Application

Windows

NetLogo runs on Windows 7, Vista, 2000, and XP.

The NetLogo installer for Windows installs Java 6 for NetLogo's private use only. Other programs on your computer are not affected.

Mac OS X

Mac OS X 10.4 or newer is required. (NetLogo 4.0 was the last version to support 10.3 and 10.2.)

We recommend you use Software Update to ensure that you have the latest Java.

Other platforms

NetLogo should work on any platform on which Java 5 or later is installed. Java 6 or later is strongly recommended. (If you have any trouble, you may want to make sure that you are using the official Java from Sun, and not some alternate implementation.)

You start NetLogo by running the provided netlogo.sh script. (Double-clicking NetLogo.jar may appear at first to work, but is not recommended.)

System Requirements: Saved Applets

NetLogo models saved as Java applets should work in any web browser where Java 5 (or later) is installed.

System Requirements: 3D

Occasionally an older, less powerful system is not able to use the 3D view or NetLogo 3D. Try it and see.

Some systems can use 3D but can't switch to full-screen mode. It depends on the graphics card or controller. (For example, the ATI Radeon IGP 345 and Intel 82845 probably will not work.)

Technical Java Details for Windows Users

Most Windows users should choose the standard NetLogo download, which includes a bundled Java 6 which is for NetLogo's private use only; other programs on your computer are not affected.

There are two reasons you might want to use the alternate download, without bundled Java:

1. You want a smaller download so it arrives faster and uses up less space on your hard drive.
2. For specific technical reasons of your own, you want to run NetLogo using a different Java than the one we bundle.

If you think the alternate download might be appropriate for you, please read the following.

Even if you already have Java installed on your computer, using that Java may make NetLogo run slowly.

For maximum performance, NetLogo uses a special option called the "server" VM. The default Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installer from Sun does not install this option. It is only included in Sun's Java Development Kit (JDK).

If you are not a Java developer, then you probably have the JRE, not the JDK, and if you use it with NetLogo, models will run substantially slower.