Installing Mathematica

Instructions for faculty, staff and students to install Mathematica on their personally-owned device or WKU-owned device.

Issue/Question

How do I install Mathematica on my device?

Environment

• Wolfram Mathematica

Resolution

Creating  / Activating an Account

1. Go here.
2. Fill out form with a name, email address, and password, then click Create.
3. Check email inbox for a message from Wolfram. It can take a few minutes to arrive.
4. Open email and click the verification link to activate the account.
5. Go back to the sign-in page here.
6. Enter email address and password, then click Sign In. The account is now ready.

 

Installing on Windows

If you do not currently have a license, you will need to request a license before following these steps.

1. Sign in to Wolfram account here.
2. Click My Products tab.
3. Click Wolfram Mathematica Site License (Western Kentucky University).
4. Under Access section, select Desktop, then Download. This downloads a small helper program that gathers the installer files.
5. Before installing, close Mathematica if it happens to be open already.
6. Find the downloaded helper (usually in the Downloads folder) and double-click it to run it. It will confirm when it is finished downloading.
7. Click Launch.
8. Click Next.
9. Click Next to install the standard location, then click Next again to include the extra tool called wolframscript.
10. Click Next to create a Start Menu shortcut, or check the Don't create a Start Menu folder box to skip it.
11. Click Install.
12. Click Finish.
13. Open Mathematica. The first time it opens, the activation window appears. Click Continue to activate by signing in.
14. Enter Wolfram ID and password, then click Continue.
15. Select desire license and click Activate.
16. Return to the Mathematica window, review the license agreement, accept it, and click OK. Mathematica is ready to use.

 

Installing on macOS

If you do not currently have a license, you will need to request a license before following these steps.

1. Sign in to Wolfram account here.
2. Click My Products tab.
3. Click Wolfram Mathematica Site License (Western Kentucky University).
4. Under Access section, select Desktop, then Download. This downloads a small helper program that gathers the installer files.
5. Before installing, close Mathematica if it happens to be open already.
6. To keep an older version, rename it in the Applications folder first.
7. Find the downloaded .dmg file (usually in the Downloads folder) and double-click it to open, then follow the prompts.
8. Click Launch.
9. Click Continue.
10. Click Install.
11. Wait for it to finish, then click Close.
12. The Mathematica installer window opens. Drag the Mathematica icon onto the Applications folder to copy it in.
13. Open Mathematica. The first time it opens, the activation window appears. Click Continue to activate by signing in.
14. Enter Wolfram ID and password, then click Continue.
15. Select desire license and click Activate.
16. Return to the Mathematica window, review the license agreement, accept it, and click OK. Mathematica is ready to use.