How do I actually install Pidgin?

First, go to the Pidgin website and download the program. (Note: Pidgin releases new versions with some frequency, so the version numbers on this page do not reflect the most recent version of the software. All the setup steps, however, are the same.)

1. You'll be asked to choose an installation language. You'll most likely want to pick English. Click Ok.
   

1. You don't necessarily have to close your other applications at this point, but it might be a good idea to do so anyway. Click Next to continue.
   

1. Unlike most license agreements, Pidgin's doesn't threaten you with torment and death if you change or distribute the software. Pidgin is open source, so this license agreement is more of an FYI. Click Next.
   

1. Here you'll select your theme, which determines how Pidgin will look. One of the biggest complaints about this program is the lack of a preview of the themes, which will hopefully be fixed soon. If you want to spell-check your instant messages, you'll have to select choose the languages for which you'd like that feature. Once you're done, click Next.
   

1. Unless you really need to install Pidgin to a different location, simply accept the one they suggest by clicking Install.
   

1. You'll get this status screen. Usually this installation happens extremely quickly, so you won't see much more than a list of things streaking by too quickly to read, and the green status bar across the top. The wizard will proceed to the next screen on its own. Note: If you opted to turn on spell-checking, you'll see a wizard pop up asking you to install a program called Aspell and dictionaries. This just requires clicking Next a whole bunch of times.
   

1. All done! Check the box next to Run Pidgin 1.3.0, then click Finish to complete the installation and start setting up Pidgin.
   

What should I do now?

At this point Pidgin is completely installed. You may want to look at our plugin section to see what plugins we recommend you install.