Install R

Since we. use RStudio on top of R, we need to start by installing R first. R is the underlying enging that runs your code, while RStudio is the interface that makes it easier to work with.

Installing R from CRAN

You install R from the CRAN website (Comprehensive R Archive Network), which is the official source for R.

R can be installed on:

  • Windows

  • MacOS

  • Linux

To install R:

  1. Go to the CRAN download page.

  2. Click on the link that matches your operating system (e.g. Download R for Windows)

  3. Follow the instructions on the screen. The default settings are usually fine.

  4. Once installed, you can test it by opening the R application. However, we will typically not use it directly like this, since we will use RStudio instead.

Updates

If you used R before and installed it for example some years ago, it is probably time for an update. R is actively developed, and new versions are released regularly with improvements, bug fixes and new features.

To avoid issues and make sure everything works smoothly, we recommend installing the latest version of R from the CRAN website, even if you already have an older version on your computer.

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