Tutorial: How to Install R and RStudio: Simple Instructions for the Novice

If you are new to R or have never heard of it, check out this page first.

If you are looking for some simple instructions to help you get started with R, you’ve found the right place.

Installing R for Windows

1. Go to the CRAN website https://cran.r-project.org/bin/windows/base/
2. Click on the “Download R 3.3.0” for Windows (or whatever the most recent version is)
3. After the download is complete, launch the downloaded file.
4. Follow the instructions in the installation application and select the defaults as you go along
5. For the Select Components step:

• If you have a 32-bit architecture, uncheck the 64-files option.
• If you have a 64-bit system, you can install both the 32-bit and 64-bit files.
• If you do not know whether you have a 32- or 64-bit system:
  1. Type “system information” in the “Search Windows” box on the lower left part of the screen/ “Start” menu area.
  2. Select the “system information” app
  3. If you have see “x64” under “System type” in the list, you have a 64-bit system.
• If you have an older version of windows or the search option is not available to you, use Google or check out this Microsoft site: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/827218

6. Accept the defaults for the remaining options to complete the rest of the installation process.

A Note on 64- v. 32-bit: A 32-bit system a has a bit less processing power. Generally, this will not matter too much for our typical uses for HR Analytics. Bottom line, if you have a 64-bit system, then run that.

If you have a 32-bit system, you will be fine for now but you might run into memory limit problems down the road as you get more ambitiuous with your use of R. By that point of course, your R skills will be crazy good and you’ll be able to tackle those problems anyway.

For additional questions about running R with Windows: https://cran.r-project.org/bin/windows/base/rw-FAQ.html#Should-I-run-32_002dbit-or-64_002dbit-R_003f

Install RStudio for Windows

RStudio is what they call an “Integrated Development Environment” or IDE for short. It’s essentially a program that sits on top of R and lets you use R much more easily. We use RStudio for everything at HRAnalytics101.com. We think you should too.

1. AFTER you have installed R, go to RStudio website: https://www.rstudio.com/products/rstudio/download/
2. Select the Windows option under the “Installers for Supported Platforms”
3. Run the installer application after it has downloaded.
4. Select the default options offered

Installing R and RStudio for Mac OS X

I just happen to use Windows for R instead of Mac OS X, so let’s get our Mac OS X installation guidance from the knowledgeable R user community I keep bragging about:

1. Go to the following site: http://www.r-bloggers.com/installing-r-on-os-x/
2. Just follow the “Get R” and “Download RStudio” parts. The other stuff is not relevant yet.

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