- Qt Creator Manual
- Getting Started
- IDE Overview
- Configuring Projects
- Qt Creator Manual 13.0.0-beta1

Creating Projects ◦ User Interface

# Configuring Projects

When you install Qt for a development or target platform, such as Linux, macOS, Windows, Android or QNX, Qt Online Installer creates kits for the development targets.

Select the kits to use for a project in the Configure Projects view when you open the project for the first time. At least one kit must be active.

To maintain the list of active kits for a currently open project, switch to the Projects mode by pressing Ctrl+5.

To specify build or run settings for a kit, select Build or Run below the kit name.

## Specifying Build Settings

Different build configurations allow you to quickly switch between different build settings. By default, Qt Creator creates the following configurations:

- Debug
- Release
- Profile

A debug build has debug symbols that you need for debugging the application but that you can leave out from the release version. Generally, you use the debug configuration for testing and the release configuration for creating the final installation binary package.

If you selected CMake as the build system for the project, you can use a minimum size release build configuration to create the final installation binary package. It is a release build that makes the size of the binary package as small as possible, even if this makes the application slower.

A profile build (which is called release with debug information when using CMake) is an optimized release build that is delivered with separate debug information. It is best suited for analyzing applications.

## Specifying Run Settings

The run settings to specify depend on the type of the project and on the Run device that you select for the kit.

Qt Creator automatically creates deploy and run configurations for your project.

To prevent Qt Creator from automatically creating run configurations, select Preferences > Build & Run, and then deselect the Create suitable run configurations automatically check box.

## Overriding Global Preferences

In Project Settings, you can override global preferences for the project:

- Clangd
- Clang Tools
- C++ Code Style
- C++ File Naming
- Dependencies
- Documentation Comments
- Editor
- Environment
- Language Server
- Quick Fixes
- To-Do (experimental)

If you have multiple projects open in Qt Creator, select the project to configure in Active Project.

See also Activate kits for a project, Configure projects for building, Configure projects for running, Open projects, and Activate custom output parsers.

Creating Projects ◦ User Interface