Lazarus-main.zip

Ensure FPC is installed and added to your system's PATH variable so Lazarus can find it. :

Since you downloaded the (the zip) rather than an installer, you must "make" the IDE. Lazarus-main.zip

: Do not extract it to C:\Program Files on Windows, as restricted permissions can break the build process. Use a path like C:\Lazarus\ or your home directory instead. Install Free Pascal Compiler (FPC) : Ensure FPC is installed and added to your

: You get access to the newest components and bug fixes before they reach a stable release. Use a path like C:\Lazarus\ or your home directory instead

: If you intend to contribute to the Lazarus project itself, you need the source code from the main branch.

Once the build completes, look for the lazarus.exe (Windows) or lazarus (Linux/macOS) executable in the root folder. Why use "main.zip" instead of an installer?

: Running from a zip allows you to have multiple versions of Lazarus on the same machine without them interfering with each other.