Build from Source Code

This page describes how to build the application from source code.

Get the Source Code

Download the source code from git repository

git clone https://github.com/hluk/CopyQ.git

or download the latest source code archive from:

Install Dependencies

The build requires:

CMake
Qt

Optional (enabled by default, disable with the corresponding CMake option):

QCA (Qt Cryptographic Architecture) – for tab encryption (-DWITH_QCA_ENCRYPTION=OFF to disable)
QtKeychain – for storing encryption passwords in the system keychain (-DWITH_KEYCHAIN=OFF to disable)
KNotifications – for native notifications (-DWITH_NATIVE_NOTIFICATIONS=OFF to disable)
miniaudio – for built-in audio playback (playSound) (-DWITH_AUDIO=OFF to disable)

Conditional:

ECM (Extra CMake Modules) – for native notifications and Wayland clipboard support
KGuiAddons – for Wayland clipboard support

Debian / Ubuntu

On Debian and derivatives you can install all build dependencies with:

sudo apt install \
  build-essential \
  cmake \
  extra-cmake-modules \
  git \
  libminiaudio-dev \
  libqt6svg6-dev \
  libqt6waylandclient6 \
  libwayland-dev \
  libxfixes-dev \
  libxtst-dev \
  qt6-base-dev \
  qt6-base-dev-tools \
  qt6-base-private-dev \
  qt6-declarative-dev \
  qt6-l10n-tools \
  qt6-tools-dev \
  qt6-tools-dev-tools \
  qt6-wayland \
  qt6-wayland-dev \
  qt6-wayland-dev-tools \
  qtkeychain-qt6-dev

On Debian 13 or Ubuntu 24.04 and newer, you can also install QCA packages:

sudo apt install \
  libqca-qt6-dev \
  libqca-qt6-plugins

On Debian 13 or Ubuntu 25.04 and newer, you can also install KF6 packages:

sudo apt install \
  libkf6guiaddons-dev

Fedora / RHEL / CentOS

On Fedora and derivatives you can install all build dependencies with:

sudo dnf install \
  cmake \
  extra-cmake-modules \
  gcc-c++ \
  git \
  kf6-kguiaddons-devel \
  kf6-knotifications-devel \
  kf6-kstatusnotifieritem-devel \
  libSM-devel \
  libXfixes-devel \
  libXtst-devel \
  miniaudio-devel \
  qca-qt6-devel \
  qca-qt6-ossl \
  qt6-qtbase-devel \
  qt6-qtbase-private-devel \
  qt6-qtdeclarative-devel \
  qt6-qtsvg-devel \
  qt6-qttools-devel \
  qt6-qtwayland-devel \
  qtkeychain-qt6-devel \
  wayland-devel

miniaudio (manual download)

If your distribution does not package miniaudio, you can download the single header file directly into the source tree:

curl -sSLo src/miniaudio.h \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mackron/miniaudio/0.11.25/miniaudio.h

CMake will find it automatically. Alternatively, place miniaudio.h anywhere and point CMake to it with -DMINIAUDIO_INCLUDE_DIR=/path/to/dir.

Build and Install

Build the source code with CMake and make or using an IDE of your choice (see next sections).

cd CopyQ
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr/local .
# Add -DWITH_QCA_ENCRYPTION=OFF for systems without `QCA` packages
# Add -DWITH_NATIVE_NOTIFICATIONS=OFF for systems without `KF6` packages
# Add -DWITH_AUDIO=OFF to disable audio support (or if miniaudio is unavailable)
make
make install

Qt Creator

Qt Creator is IDE focused on developing C++ and Qt applications.

Install Qt Creator from your package manager or by selecting it from Qt installation utility.

Set up Qt library, C++ compiler and CMake.

Viz také

Adding Kits

Open file CMakeLists.txt in repository clone to create new project.

Visual Studio

You need to install Qt for given version Visual Studio.

In Visual Studio 2017 open folder containing repository clone using „File - Open - Folder“.

In older versions, create solution manually by running cmake -G "Visual Studio 14 2015 Win64" . (select appropriate generator name) in repository clone folder.

Viz také

CMake - Visual Studio Generators

Building and Packaging for OS X

On OS X, required Qt 6 libraries and utilities can be easily installed with Homebrew.

cd CopyQ
git -C "utils/github/homebrew" init .
git -C "utils/github/homebrew" add .
git -C "utils/github/homebrew" commit -m "Initial"

brew tap copyq/kde utils/github/homebrew/
# if the above "brew tap" command produces an error like
#     "Error: Tap copyq/kde remote mismatch"
# then run
#     brew untap --force copyq/kde
# and re-run the above "brew tap" command

brew install qt6 copyq/kde/kf6-knotifications copyq/kde/kf6-kstatusnotifieritem

Build with the following commands:

cmake -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$(brew --prefix qt6)" .
cmake --build .
cpack

This will produce a self-contained application bundle CopyQ.app which can then be copied or moved into /Applications.

NOTE: If no Items are shown when you start CopyQ and open „File - Preferences - Items“, then your CopyQ plugins were not installed. If you saw warning messages like this:

/<some_path>/install_name_tool: warning: changes being made to the file will invalidate the code signature in: /<some_path>/CopyQ/_CPack_Packages/Darwin/DragNDrop/copyq-6.2.0-Darwin/CopyQ.app/Contents/Plugins/<some_file>.dylib

when you ran the above „cpack“ command, then you have likely encountered issue 1903.

In that case you may codesign the CopyQ app again using the following command, un-install the previous CopyQ app, and install the re-signed CopyQ.app:

codesign --force --deep --sign - $PWD/_CPack_Packages/Darwin/DragNDrop/copyq-*-Darwin/CopyQ.app