Get Notified when the Software is Updated
NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) is a small, efficient, capable, and professional open-source system for creating Windows installers. Engineered for maximum flexibility and a minimal footprint, this framework enables efficient and reliable software deployment over the internet.
A well-designed and dependable software installer is a cornerstone of successful software, providing users with a smooth, error-free installation every time. With NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System), you can create robust and customizable installers that perform all necessary steps to set up your software successfully.
NSIS is script-based, allowing you to implement custom logic to handle even the most complex installation tasks. A wide variety of plug-ins and scripts are already available, and the system enables you to create web installers, interact with Windows and other software components, and effortlessly install or update shared components, along with many additional tools.
NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) Features:
- Generates self-contained executable installers
- Support for ZLib, BZip2, and LZMA data compression
- Uninstall support (installer can generate an uninstaller)
- Customizable user interface (dialogs, fonts, backgrounds, icons, text, checkmarks, images, etc.)
- Classic and modern Wizard interface
- Enjoy full multilingual support within a single installer, including right-to-left (RTL) language compatibility. With over 40 built-in translations available, you can easily create and add custom language files tailored to your unique needs.
- Page system. You can add standard wizard pages or custom pages
- User selection of installation components, tree for component selection
- Multiple install configurations (usually Minimal, Typical, Full), and a custom configuration
- Installer self-verification using a CRC32 checksum
- Small overhead over compressed data size (34 KB with default options)
- Ability to display a license agreement in text or RTF format
- Ability to detect the destination directory from the registry
- Easy-to-use plug-in system. Many included plug-ins allow you to create custom dialogs, manage internet connections, perform HTTP downloads, patch files, execute Win32 API calls, and perform more advanced operations.
- Installers can be as large as 2GB
- An optional silent mode for automated installations
- A preprocessor with support for defined symbols, macros, conditional compilation, and standard predefines
- A delightful coding experience combining PHP scripting and assembly programming for efficient development. Includes user variables, a stack, real flow control, etc.
Installers have their VMs that let you write code that can support:
- File extraction (with configurable overwrite parameters)
- File/directory copying, renaming, deletion, searching
- Plug-in DLL calling
- DLL/ActiveX control registration/unregistration
- Executable execution (shell execute and wait for options)
- Shortcut creation
- Registry key reading/setting/enumerating/deleting
- INI file reading/writing
- Generic text file reading/writing
- Powerful string and integer manipulation
- Window finding based on class name or title
- User interface manipulation (font/text setting)
- Window message sending
- User interaction with message boxes or custom pages
- Branching, comparisons, etc.
- Error checking
- Reboot support, including delete or rename on reboot
- Installer behavior commands (such as show/hide/wait/etc.)
- User functions in the script
- Callback functions for user actions
NSIS – Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✓ Creates compact, self-contained Windows installers with support for ZLib, BZip2, and LZMA compression. | ✗ The script-based approach can require programming knowledge, especially for installers involving custom logic and advanced operations. |
| ✓ Provides extensive installer customization through configurable dialogs, fonts, backgrounds, icons, pages, and component-selection options. | ✗ Its installer framework is designed specifically for Windows software deployment rather than creating native installers for multiple operating systems. |
| ✓ Supports multilingual installers, including right-to-left languages, with more than 40 built-in translations and custom language files. | ✗ Advanced functionality often depends on scripts and plug-ins, which can add complexity to installer development and maintenance. |
| ✓ Its plug-in system can handle advanced tasks such as HTTP downloads, file patching, Win32 API calls, and custom installer dialogs. | ✗ The large range of scripting commands and customization options can make simple installer projects more involved than a basic setup-building workflow. |
| ✓ Offers scripting features for file operations, registry changes, executable execution, shortcuts, reboot handling, conditional logic, and error checking. | ✗ Although installers can be as large as 2GB, the documented default overhead is very small, so projects that rely on larger payloads still require careful package planning. |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you compile an NSIS script?
An NSIS installer is created by compiling a .nsi script with the MakeNSIS compiler. You can compile a script through the included graphical compiler interface or from the command line using makensis.exe.
Does NSIS support Unicode installers?
Yes. NSIS can create Unicode installers by enabling its Unicode setting. Unicode builds can display and handle characters supported by the Windows operating system, making them suitable for installers that need broader language support.
Can NSIS be used for commercial software?
Yes. NSIS is released under open-source licenses that permit use for commercial applications, subject to the applicable license terms for its individual components. The main NSIS source code and several included components use permissive open-source licenses.
What is the difference between NSIS and Inno Setup?
Both are script-based Windows installer systems that can create executable setup packages and support customized installation logic. NSIS uses its own scripting language and plug-in architecture. In contrast, Inno Setup uses Pascal scripting and provides features such as Unicode installers, administrative or non-administrative installation modes, and digitally signed installers.
What’s New in NSIS 3.13
Release Date 2026-09-27
What’s New in NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) 3.11:
- Retry opening the self if there is a sharing error (partial patch)
- Retry creating restricted $PLUGINSDIR (thanks, Sandro Poppi,
- Support setting the source file decoding charset with a magic comment
- Fixed LicenseBkColor for uninstaller
- Handle the CHARSET command line parameter in MakeNSISW
- Make System/Resource.dll reproducible
- Zip2Exe accepts .zip as a command-line parameter
- Updated Finnish
Official Homepage – https://nsis.sourceforge.io
