Blackboard Basics - What software do I need on my computer to use Blackboard

What software do I need on my computer to use Blackboard?

You need a network connection and a web browser, typically a recent version of Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari (Mac only). Blackboard provisionally supports Chrome. For details, see Blackboard Browser Setup. You must have Javascript and Cookies enabled.

Many Blackboard sites expect you to be able to view Adobe PDF files, so if you are using a PC you'll also need Adobe Reader (available for free download from the Adobe website). To use the equation editor, "chat", and "virtual classroom" you need to have Java installed (available for free download from the Java website).

Your professor may also post documents in other formats that require specialized software to view. For example, to view Microsoft Powerpoint documents (named something.ppt or something.pptx) you need to either have Powerpoint installed on your PC or need some other software that can display Powerpoint. 

Here is a list of our recommended browsers.

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