Getting Support for QGIS

The QGIS project has a number of support channels. Like many open source projects, these are loosely coupled. Recently the forum was made read-only and this has prompted a number of questions and concerns about how to receive support. This post outlines the ways in which you can get your questions answered.

Home Page

The QGIS home page has links to all the documentation and community resources. The navigation panel on the left has links to both the Community resources and the manual.

To quickly see links to all the resources, click the Need Help? button on the home page. You’ll find links to:

  • User Manual
  • Wiki
  • Mailing Lists
  • StackExchange

StackExchange

GIS StackExchange allows you to ask questions and get answers from a wide range of users and experts in the GIS realm. If you have a question specific to QGIS, tag it with the qgis keyword, otherwise use an appropriate tag.

Since StackExchange is question-based, you should not ask multiple questions in a single posting.

Also, make sure you flag the question as answered once you receive a satisfactory response.

Mailing Lists

The QGIS project maintains a number of mailing lists. For most people, the two of interest are qgis-user and qgis-developer:

  • qgis-user: Use this list for discussion of QGIS in general, as well as specific questions regarding its installation and use.

  • qgis-developer: Used for discussion of development issues, plans, and features. If you plan to contribute code or patches to the project or write your own Python plugins, you’ll find this list useful.

If you just want to browse or search the mailing lists without subscribing, they are available on Nabble.

IRC

IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is a method of communication used widely by open source communities. On any given day you will find both developers, contributors, and users monitoring the #qgis channel on irc.freenode.net.

To use IRC, you’ll need a client application for your computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Here are a couple of guidelines for using the #qgis channel:

  1. If you have a question, don’t ask if you can ask, just state your question
  2. If no one responds, it’s not because they hate you or think you are a dullard, but are busy or don’t know the answer to your question

The QGIS IRC community is very friendly and helpful. Give it a try.

Search the Internet

All of the web resources for the QGIS project are indexed by search engines. Searching for your specific question can often lead you to the answer you are looking for, whether it be in a blog, on a mailing list, or the QGIS web site itself.

In addition to your favorite search engine, try DuckDuckGo for more targeted search results.

Shameless Plug

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