A lot of school and office computers don’t let ordinary users install software. Others belong to someone else, or are shared between staff. That’s why people search for portable library software: something you can unzip, double-click, and start using, without an installer, an administrator password, or a server.
This guide explains what portable means for library software, which free options run that way on Windows, and the one question most people forget to ask: where does the data live?
What “portable” means
A portable program is a folder you can put anywhere and run from there. Compared with an installed program:
| Installed | Portable | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Run an installer | Unzip a folder |
| Start Menu entry and uninstaller | Yes | No |
| Administrator rights | Sometimes | Usually not |
| Removing it | Uninstall | Delete the folder |
For library software there’s a second question: whether it needs a server. Many library systems are web applications. They need a web server and a database running before you can use them, even when both run on the same computer. A portable version of a web application packs those in, but you still start and look after them.
Free portable options for Windows
| Software | What’s in the zip | How you start it | Where the data lives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khulla | The desktop app | Run khulla.exe |
The Windows user’s app data folder |
| Portable SLiMS | SLiMS, Apache, PHP, MariaDB | Start the web server and database, then open a browser | Inside the extracted folder |
Khulla: a desktop app in a zip
Khulla offers two downloads for Windows 10 and 11: an installer, and a portable zip. Both are the same app. To use the zip:
- Download
khulla-<version>-windows-x64.zipfrom the download section. - Right-click it and choose Extract All, into any folder you like.
- Open the folder and run
khulla.exe. - Name your library, choose a currency, and create the administrator account.
There’s no server to start and no browser involved: it opens as a normal window, and the catalogue, loans, members, fines, labels and reports all work with no internet. The installer doesn’t need administrator rights either, so if your computer lets you run the zip, it will probably let you run the installer too, which adds a Start Menu entry and an uninstaller.
Where the data lives. The catalogue is a single file in the Windows user’s app data folder, not in the zip’s folder. The installer and the zip use the same location, so you can switch from one to the other without losing anything, and deleting the folder doesn’t delete the library.
The flip side: copying the folder to a USB stick doesn’t carry the catalogue with it. To move a library to another computer, use Settings → Backup to export it to one file, then choose Restore from a backup when you set Khulla up on the new computer.
Its limits: one catalogue per computer, no online catalogue for members, and no import, so books are typed in.
Portable SLiMS: a web server in a zip
Portable SLiMS packs the SLiMS library system with the Apache web server, PHP and a MariaDB database. You extract it, start the web server and the database from their batch files, and open the library in a browser at a local address. Because the database is inside the extracted folder, it can run from a USB drive and carry its data with it.
Choose it when you want SLiMS’s online catalogue and don’t mind starting a web server and database each time, and keeping both running while the library is open.
Is a browser version portable too?
A library system that opens in a browser needs nothing installed at all, which makes it the most portable option of all. Khulla has one: its demo is the full app, running inside the browser with no server behind it.
The catch is storage. The catalogue lives in that browser’s storage on that computer, and clearing the browser’s site data wipes it. It’s the quickest way to try Khulla, but for the library’s real records, install it on the desk computer and take regular backups.
Which one to choose
- You can’t or don’t want to install anything: Khulla’s portable zip. Unzip and run.
- You can install, but have no administrator password: Khulla’s installer, which doesn’t need one.
- You want the library on a USB stick you carry between computers: Portable SLiMS, or Khulla with a backup file you restore on each computer.
- You just want to see what library software looks like: a browser demo.
Keep a backup wherever it runs
Portable software makes it easy to forget where the data is. Whatever you choose:
- Find the data file once, on day one, so you know what to protect.
- Back up weekly to a USB drive or another computer, and keep one copy away from the library.
- Test a restore once, on a spare computer, before you need it.
Our guide to offline library software covers backups in more detail.
Summary
- Portable software runs from a folder you unzip, with no installer and usually no admin rights.
- Khulla’s portable zip is a desktop app: no server, no browser, works offline.
- Portable SLiMS is a web server and database packaged together, started from batch files.
- Khulla keeps its data in the user’s app data folder; move it between computers with a backup.
- A browser demo is the most portable of all, but keep real records on an installed copy.
Questions
What is portable library software?
Software you unzip and run instead of installing. There's no setup wizard and usually no administrator password needed, which helps on school computers where installing is locked down.
Is there portable library management software for Windows?
Yes. Khulla has a portable zip for Windows 10 and 11: unzip it and run khulla.exe. Portable SLiMS bundles SLiMS with its own web server and database in a zip, started from batch files.
Can I run library software from a USB drive?
Portable SLiMS can run from a USB drive, with its database on the drive. Khulla's portable zip runs from anywhere, but keeps its catalogue in the Windows user's app data folder, so to carry the library to another computer you export a backup and restore it there.
Do I need a server for portable library software?
Not for Khulla, which is a desktop app. Portable SLiMS is still a web server and database, packaged so you can start them without installing them.
Try Khulla in two minutes
Open the demo in a browser: nothing to install, no account to create. When it fits, download Khulla for Windows, Linux or Android.
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