Build and Install KeePassXC

This document will guide you through the steps to build and install KeePassXC from source. For more information, see also the Building KeePassXC page on the wiki.

The QuickStart Guide gets you started using KeePassXC on your Windows, macOS, or Linux computer using pre-compiled binaries from the downloads page.

Build Dependencies

The following tools must exist within your PATH:

make
cmake (>= 2.8.12)
g++ (>= 4.7) or clang++ (>= 3.0)
asciidoctor (on Linux/MacOS)

The following libraries are required:

Qt 5 (>= 5.2): qtbase and qttools5
libgcrypt (>= 1.6)
zlib
libmicrohttpd
libxi, libxtst, qtx11extras (optional for auto-type on X11)
libsodium (>= 1.0.12)
libargon2
qrencode
yubikey ykpers (optional to support YubiKey)

Prepare the Building Environment

Build Steps

We recommend using the release tool to perform builds, please read up-to-date instructions on our wiki.

To compile from source, open a Terminal (on Linux/MacOS) or a MSYS2-MinGW shell (on Windows)
Note: on Windows make sure you are using a MINGW shell by checking the label before the current path

First, download the KeePassXC source tarball or check out the latest version from our Git repository.

To clone the project from Git, cd to a suitable location and run

git clone https://github.com/keepassxreboot/keepassxc.git

This will clone the entire contents of the repository and check out the current develop branch.

To update the project from within the project's folder, you can run the following command:

git pull

For a stable build, it is recommended to checkout the master branch.

git checkout master

Navigate to the directory where you have downloaded KeePassXC and type these commands:

mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DWITH_XC_ALL=ON ..
make

If you are on Windows, you may have to add -G "MSYS Makefiles" to the beginning of the cmake command. See the Windows Build Instructions for more information.

These steps place the compiled KeePassXC binary inside the ./build/src/ directory. (Note the cmake notes/options below.)

Cmake Notes:

Common cmake parameters

-DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr/local
-DCMAKE_VERBOSE_MAKEFILE=ON
-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=<RelWithDebInfo/Debug/Release>
-DWITH_GUI_TESTS=ON

cmake accepts the following options:

  -DWITH_XC_AUTOTYPE=[ON|OFF] Enable/Disable Auto-Type (default: ON)
  -DWITH_XC_YUBIKEY=[ON|OFF] Enable/Disable YubiKey HMAC-SHA1 authentication support (default: OFF)
  -DWITH_XC_BROWSER=[ON|OFF] Enable/Disable KeePassXC-Browser extension support (default: OFF)
  -DWITH_XC_NETWORKING=[ON|OFF] Enable/Disable Networking support (e.g., favicon downloading) (default: OFF)
  -DWITH_XC_SSHAGENT=[ON|OFF] Enable/Disable SSHAgent support (default: OFF)
  -DWITH_XC_TOUCHID=[ON|OFF] (macOS Only) Enable/Disable Touch ID unlock (default:OFF)
  -DWITH_XC_FDOSECRETS=[ON|OFF] (Linux Only) Enable/Disable Freedesktop.org Secrets Service support (default:OFF)
  -DWITH_XC_KEESHARE=[ON|OFF] Enable/Disable KeeShare group synchronization extension (default: OFF)
  -DWITH_XC_KEESHARE_SECURE=[ON|OFF] Enable/Disable KeeShare signed containers, requires libquazip5 (default: OFF)
  -DWITH_XC_ALL=[ON|OFF] Enable/Disable compiling all plugins above (default: OFF)

  -DWITH_XC_UPDATECHECK=[ON|OFF] Enable/Disable automatic updating checking (requires WITH_XC_NETWORKING) (default: ON)

  -DWITH_TESTS=[ON|OFF] Enable/Disable building of unit tests (default: ON)
  -DWITH_GUI_TESTS=[ON|OFF] Enable/Disable building of GUI tests (default: OFF)
  -DWITH_DEV_BUILD=[ON|OFF] Enable/Disable deprecated method warnings (default: OFF)
  -DWITH_ASAN=[ON|OFF] Enable/Disable address sanitizer checks (Linux / macOS only) (default: OFF)
  -DWITH_COVERAGE=[ON|OFF] Enable/Disable coverage tests (GCC only) (default: OFF)
  -DWITH_APP_BUNDLE=[ON|OFF] Enable Application Bundle for macOS (default: ON)

  -DKEEPASSXC_BUILD_TYPE=[Snapshot|PreRelease|Release] Set the build type to show/hide stability warnings (default: "Snapshot")
  -DKEEPASSXC_DIST_TYPE=[Snap|AppImage|Other] Specify the distribution method (default: "Other")
  -DOVERRIDE_VERSION=[X.X.X] Specify a version number when building. Used with snapshot builds (default: "")
  -DGIT_HEAD_OVERRIDE=[XXXXXXX] Specify the 7 digit git commit ref for this build. Used with distribution builds (default: "")

If you are on MacOS you must add this parameter to Cmake, with the Qt version you have installed
-DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=/usr/local/Cellar/qt5/5.6.2/lib/cmake/

❗ When building with ASan support on macOS, you need to use export ASAN_OPTIONS=detect_leaks=0 before running the tests (no LSan support in macOS).

Installation

After you have successfully built KeePassXC, install the binary by executing the following:

sudo make install

You can specify the destination dir with

DESTDIR=X

Packaging

You can create a package to redistribute KeePassXC (zip, deb, rpm, dmg, etc..). Refer to keepassxc-packaging

Testing

You can perform tests on the built executables with:

make test ARGS+="--output-on-failure"

If you are not currently running on an X Server or Wayland, run the tests as follows:

make test ARGS+="-E test\(cli\|gui\) --output-on-failure"
xvfb-run -e errors -a --server-args="-screen 0 1024x768x24" make test ARGS+="-R test\(cli\|gui\) --output-on-failure"

Common parameters:

CTEST_OUTPUT_ON_FAILURE=1
ARGS+=-jX
ARGS+="-E testgui"

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