NVivo
NVivo is a powerful application which can help you to manage your analysis of non-numerical, text-based qualitative data.
Primary page content
You can input text, audio files, video files, image files, spreadsheets, web pages, even data from Twitter and Facebook. This data can be exported easily and visualised to share your findings.
Before attempting to install NVivo, ensure you have acquired an NVivo licence code from the IT Software self-service web page. Once you have a licence code and have downloaded the necessary NVivo installer, you can follow the steps below to install the software.
Please ensure you are connected to the internet throughout the installation and software licencing process.
Training and support
IT and Digital Services does not provide training on Nvivo. You can find online self-access training at:
How to install and license NVIVO
Important: NVivo provides backward compatibility—if a user with a later version of NVivo attempts to open a project in an earlier format (for example, a user opens an NVivo 11 project in NVivo 12 (Windows)), the user is prompted to convert the project to the later format. The original project is not modified; instead a converted copy of the project is created.
NVivo does not provide forward compatibility — the user cannot open a project with a later format. For example, if a user wants to open an NVivo 12 (Windows) project, they must have NVivo 12 (Windows), or later, installed.
To obtain the current NVivo licence code please type your username in the field below.
To download the NVivo installer, click one of the links below.
Nvivo 12
Once you have obtained the Nvivo installers and licence code, you are ready to install the software. This process can take up to 30 minutes.
How to update your License Code
Your NVivo licence code generally lasts for 12 months from the start of July. QSR International provides an additional one month grace period, and so all NVivo licence codes should remain valid until the end of July.
To update the NVivo Licence Code:
- In NVivo, go to the Help menu > Extend license
- Paste in the new licence code and click OK
- When the file has downloaded, double-click the file and select your preferred language
- When the installation wizard begins, follow the steps to install NVivo. At the Add-Ons dialog box, select the tick boxes to add the NCapture browser extension to Internet Explorer and/or Chrome. Adding this extension allows you to import data directly from the web into your NVivo project
- During the installation, you will be prompted for your license details. Activate the license you received in your email with your correct first name, last name, licence key, and Goldsmiths college email address. Make sure you are connected to the internet for the NVivo licence to activate and to install any updates
- When the installer has ended, click Finish to complete the installation. You are now ready to use NVivo.
NVivo 12 for Mac OSX installs like any other Mac application - simply open the .dmg package and drag the NVivo application to the Applications folder. You may be prompted to enter your computer administration credentials to complete this process.
Once you open NVivo you will be prompted to enter your licence and personal details. Please enter the license you received by email and all the appropriate personal details required.
You should now be ready to use NVivo unless you are going to be using this application on Mac OS 12 (Ventura) or above. If you are going to be using NVivo 12 on Mac OS 12 (Ventura) or above, please follow the additional steps below.
- Copy the CloudTabs.db file from the NVivo_12.zip folder. The file will be used at step 5.
- Open the Finder window and click on Go from the Finder menu option.
- Press and hold down the Option key on the keyboard while the Go menu is being shown to see the hidden Library folder.
- Click on Library folder.
- Navigate to the Safari folder then paste CloudTabs.db in the Safari folder.
- Close the Finder window and launch NVivo.
- NVivo should launch as normal but may ask full disk access. Grant the access and the application should be ready for you to use.
If, however, you are repeatedly being prompted with the message ““NVivo needs permission to access data on your computer before it can run” when launching the application, even after the permission has been enabled. Please refer to the Read Me file in the Mac installer above.
The NVivo Server enables you to store your NVivo project centrally and access it from any internet-connected computer.
Our Open Access computers only let you save your NVivo projects on our server - you cannot store them on the local computer or on an external hard drive. This is for technical reasons to do with the way that software is installed and managed on all of our Open Access PCs. We have to use NVivo Server to enable NVivo to work.
The NVivo Server can be very useful to research teams - you can all access the same project simultaneously and do not have to pass copies of your project between you for later merging.
How do I use NVivo Server as an individual researcher?
For an individual researcher on a personal device, the NVivo Server is simply another place to store your NVivo project. It's just that on our Open Access computers it is the only place. You can copy your project to and from the server when you are using your own computer, but you can only work with it on the server on an Open Access PC.
Where is Goldsmiths NVivo Server located?
The NVivo Server is located and run on a server-based on-campus.
Data stored to the NVivo Server is not stored off-site or in any cloud-based storage.
Create a new project on the NVivo Server (Open Access)
When you create a new project on an Open Access computer, follow these steps:
- From the Welcome screen click New Project.
- Type a name for your project in the Title box (no_spaces_use_underscores) and optionally a description.
- You will see nothing in the Filename box and OK is greyed out. Click on Browse.
- You need to tell NVivo how to connect to the server - this is like typing in a web address. Click the Add button. A Connection Properties dialog box appears.
- In the Connection Name box type: NVivo Server
- In the Connection Host box type: CGS-vSVR-AS13.campus.goldsmiths.ac.uk
- In the Connect As section select Specified User and in the Account Name box your campus username, in the format campus\username. For example:
campus.goldsmiths.ac.uk\username
- Click on Test Connection. After a short wait you should see the following message on screen: 'Successfully connected to the server’. Click OK twice.
- In the Project Name box you should see the name you entered at step 2. You can change it, but it's best not to as it may become confusing. Click on Save
- If the name box is empty, the Save button will be greyed out. Type the same name in again and click Save
- This takes you back to the New Project dialog box and in the Filename box you will see the Connection name/Title you have created. Click OK and your project will be created on the server. The project will then open in NVivo so that you can start using it