How to Install and Run SPSS

This article will provide step-by-step instructions on how to install and run SPSS on personal devices. If you have an Arcadia issued device, please contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@arcadia.edu as you will need administrator credentials to install SPSS.

How to install SPSS:

1. Open Google Drive link with your Arcadia Google account/credentials and download the SPSS installer.

Windows: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X9ZbmiX5hpBA-ws04r3jkvRF26qj8-Ei/view?usp=sharing 

Mac: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14UasW1oYWyNqQPCO4bqkLzJIDegM1J7k/view

2.  Once the download is finished, open up the SPSS installer. You may need to enter admin credentials on your device to open up the installer.

3. Follow the prompts and accept the terms in the license agreement. Finally, click "Install", then "Finish" to complete the install process.

How to run SPSS on Windows:

You should now have SPSS installed on your device. If you are on a Mac device, skip to "How to run SPSS on Macs". If you are on a Windows device, follow these steps before opening the app: 

1. Right click the SPSS app and select "Properties"

2. In Properties, go to the "Compatibility" tab. Under Compatibility Mode, check the box next to "Run this program in compatibility mode for:" and select Windows 8. Click "Apply", then "Ok" to complete this step.

3. Once the compatibility mode is modified, a concurrent user license will need to be applied. For this next step, please reach out to the Help Desk at helpdesk@arcadia.edu as one of our technicians will have to enter a key for you. Once a ticket is put in with us, we can coordinate a time to meet remotely on in-person.

How to run SPSS on Macs:

You should now have SPSS installed on your device. Double click on the SPSS application and open it to make sure it runs correctly. 

If you see a pop up screen like the image below, please follow the next steps:

1. Download the libplatdeb.dylib file linked on this page.

2. Close all instances of SPSS.

3. Navigate to "/Applications/IBM SPSS Statistics/SPSS Statistics.app/Contents/lib/". You can do this by opening your Applications folder, opening the IBM SPSS Statistics folder, right-clicking on SPSS Statistics, clicking "Show Package Contents", opening the Contents folder, then opening the lib folder. 

4. Copy the libplatdeb.dylib file you downloaded in step 1 to this folder, click "replace" when prompted.

5. Run SPSS again, and it should launch successfully.