Open-source library management software for Windows.

Most library desks run Windows, and most no-cost library software for Windows turns out to be a trial, a version capped at a few hundred books, or a web application that needs a server. Khulla is none of those. It's open-source library management software that installs on Windows like any other program, with every feature and no limit on books or members.

Installing on Windows

• Installer. Run the setup file and pick whether you want a desktop shortcut. It installs for your user only, so it needs no administrator rights.
• Portable zip. Unzip it into any folder and run khulla.exe. The library itself is still kept in the data folder on that computer.
• SmartScreen. Windows warns about unsigned apps. Click More info, then Run anyway.
• Requirements. 64-bit Windows 10 or 11. No internet once it's installed.

Step by step, from the download to the first loan: how to install library software on Windows.

Can't install anything on the library computer? See portable library software, and where each option keeps its data.

What it does on the library computer

• Catalogue titles and copies with ISBN, shelf mark and auto-numbered barcodes.
• Lend with a scan: check out, return, renew, and fines worked out on return.
• Holds, a member register with your own categories, and membership renewals.
• Print barcode spine labels on A4 label sheets through the Windows print dialog.
• Report on circulation, the collection, members and fines, and export to CSV for Excel.
• Staff accounts with four permission levels, and one-file backup and restore.

See every feature, with screenshots.

Where the library is kept

The catalogue is a SQLite database in Khulla's data folder on that computer, separate from the program, so an uninstall or a reinstall leaves it alone. To move to a new PC, export a backup under Settings → Backup and restore it on the new one. It works fully offline, and nothing is sent to us.

Not only Windows

The same app runs on Linux and Android, and in a web browser. Each installation keeps its own catalogue: there is no sync between computers yet. Mac and iPhone builds aren't published yet; the web version works in Safari.

Questions

Is there open-source library management software for Windows?

Yes. Khulla is open-source library management software with a Windows installer for 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. It covers the catalogue, check-out and returns, holds, fines, members, barcode labels and reports, with no trial period and no book limit.

Do I need administrator rights to install it?

No. The installer puts Khulla in your own user folder, so it installs on a school or office computer where you can't get admin rights. There's also a portable zip you can unzip anywhere and run.

Why does Windows show a SmartScreen warning?

Windows warns about apps that aren't signed with a paid certificate, and Khulla's downloads aren't yet. Click More info, then Run anyway. Each release lists SHA-256 checksums so you can check the file you downloaded.

Will uninstalling or updating delete our library?

No. The catalogue is kept in the app's data folder, outside the program itself, so uninstalling or reinstalling doesn't touch it. An update upgrades the database through tested migrations. Take a backup before upgrading anyway.

Does it work with a barcode scanner and label printer on Windows?

Yes. A USB or Bluetooth scanner that types like a keyboard works at check-out and on the labels screen, and label sheets print through the normal Windows print dialog to any printer.

Download Khulla for Windows

Get the installer or the portable zip from the download section, or try the demo in a browser first.