Using Offline Feeds to Install NI Software on Offline Machines

This tutorial shows how to create and use offline feeds to install NI software on machines without internet access. By generating the feed on an online machine and importing it into NI Package Manager on offline machines, you can install NI software without a ni.com connection.

Other methods of installing NI software to an offline machine include:

• Using an offline installer (for individual software)
• Using a web-based installer (for NI software suites and bundles)
• Using physical media

Table of Contents

1. Prepare Files on Online Machine
2. Create Offline Feed
3. Install Product Packages on Offline Machine

Prepare Files on Online Machine

From an online machine that has an internet connection, install and run NI Package Manager to download the files you need. Then, prepare the files before moving them to your offline machine.

1. Launch NI Package Manager.
2. Find your desired product on the BROWSE PRODUCTS tab. Click INSTALL.  
   
   

In this example, LabVIEW Runtime Engine 2026 Q1 (64-bit) will be installed.

 

3. When the installation is complete, navigate to the INSTALLED tab and search for your product. Hover over the product and note its package name in the hover text.
   
   

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Create Offline Feed

1. Open a command window and navigate to the NI Package Manager directory.

cd C:\Program Files\National Instruments\NI Package Manager

2. Execute the following commands to download the package to a destination directory and create the feed.

nipkg.exe download --all-deps --destination-dir="C:\feeds\<Your Folder Name>" <package name>

nipkg.exe feed-create "C:\feeds\<Your Folder Name>"

nipkg.exe download --all-deps --destination-dir="C:\feeds\LabVIEW 2026 Runtime 64-bit" ni-labview-2026-runtime-engine

nipkg.exe feed-create "C:\feeds\LabVIEW 2026 Runtime 64-bit"

3. (Optional) The download --all-deps command downloads the primary package and all required dependencies. If you are creating an offline feed for a product that also recommends additional optional packages, you must also complete the following commands to include those additional optional packages in the offline feed.
   
   

1. Execute the following command to determine the package names of the optional recommended packages for your primary package.
   
   

nipkg.exe install <package name>

nipkg.exe install ni-daqmx

2. Press n not to continue but note the Recommended packages.
3. Repeat the download and feed-create commands for each recommended package that you want to include in the offline feed.
   
   

nipkg.exe download --all-deps --destination-dir="C:\feeds\<Your Folder Name>" <package name>

nipkg.exe feed-create "C:\feeds\<Your Folder Name>"

4. Navigate to the destination directory and move both the NI Package Manager installer .exe and the feed folder you created to the offline machine. If the offline machine can access a shared network folder, move the NI Package Manager installer .exe and feed folder to a shared network folder.

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Install Product Packages on Offline Machine

1. Install NI Package Manager on the offline machine: You can download the offline installer of NI Package Manager from an online machine by clicking the "Offline Install" button on this website: Package Manager. 
2. Launch NI Package Manager on the offline machine.
3. Click on the Settings gear (top-right corner). Enable the Show available packages and feed management tools checkbox.
   
    
4. Select Feeds and then click Add.

5. Input a feed name. Browse to the folder containing the feed you created in the previous section. Click Add to register the feed on the offline machine.
   
    
    
6. In NI Package Manager, navigate to the PACKAGES tab and search for the product. Select the product and click INSTALL to install it.
   
    
    

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