Tutorial

Install QGIS & HDFView

Authors: Megan Jones

Last Updated: Apr 2, 2026

Install HDFView

The free HDFView application allows you to explore the contents of an HDF5 file. Starting in 2026, you are required to create an account and log in to The HDF Group in order to download the HDFView software.

To install HDFView:

Click here: wwww.hdfgroup.org/download-hdfview to go to the download page.
Create an account if you don't already have one (shown in the upper right corner), and log in to your account.
Once you are logged in, from the section titled Pre-Built Binary Distributions, select the HDFView download option that matches your operating system (Darwin for Mac, Windows, or Linux) and computer setup (32 bit vs 64 bit) that you have. The download will start automatically.
Open the downloaded file.

Mac - You may want to add the HDFView application to your Applications directory.
Windows - Unzip the file, open the folder, run the .exe file, and follow directions to complete installation.

Open HDFView to ensure that the program installed correctly.

**Data Tip:** The HDFView application requires Java to be up to date. If you are having issues opening HDFView, try to update Java first!

Install QGIS

QGIS is a free, open-source GIS program similar to ArcGIS. It is a handy software tool for visualizing raster data and carrying out other raster and geospatial data analysis.

To install QGIS:

Download the QGIS installer on the QGIS download page. Follow the installation directions below for your operating system.

Select the appropriate QGIS Standalone Installer Version for your computer (Windows Desktop OS or the Long Term Release (LTR) for Mac).
The download will automatically start.
Open the .exe file and follow prompts to install (installation may take a while).
Open QGIS to ensure that it is properly downloaded and installed.

**Data Tip:** If your computer doesn't allow you to open these packages because they are from an unknown developer, right click on the package and select Open With >Installer (default). You will then be asked if you want to open the package. Select Open, and the installer will open.

Once all of the packages are installed, open QGIS to ensure that it is properly installed.

Note: if you have previous versions of QGIS installed on your system, you may run into problems. Check out this page from QGIS: QGIS Installation Guide for additional information.