Quickstart

Getting started

Recommended for users who just downloaded IQ-TREE the first time.

Table of Contents

IQ-TREE web server
Installation
For Windows users
For Mac OS X users
Minimal command-line examples
Where to go from here?

IQ-TREE web server

The quickest is to try out the IQ-TREE web server, where you only need to upload an alignment, choose the options and start the analysis. There is a web server tutorial here.

If you want to use the command-line version, follow the instructions below.

Installation

To achieve high performance IQ-TREE is a command-line program: you need to run IQ-TREE from a Terminal/Console (this is called Command Prompt under Windows). After you downloaded IQ-TREE, please:

Extract the .zip (Windows, MacOSX) or .tar.gz (Linux) file to create a directory iqtree-X.Y.Z-OS or iqtree-omp-X.Y.Z-OS, where X.Y.Z is the version number and OS is the operating system (Windows, MacOSX or Linux).
You will find the executable in the bin sub-folder. Copy all files in bin folder to your system search path such that you can run IQ-TREE by entering iqtree or iqtree-omp from the Terminal.

Now you need to open a Terminal (or Console) to run IQ-TREE. See below the guide for Windows users and Mac OS X users.

For Windows users

Since IQ-TREE is a command-line program, clicking on iqtree.exe will not work. You have to open a Command Prompt for all analyses:

Click on "Start" menu (below left corner of Windows screen).
Type in "cmd" and press "Enter". It will open the Command Prompt window (see Figure below).
Go into IQ-TREE folder you just extracted by entering e.g. (assuming you downloaded version 1.5.0):
```
 cd Downloads\iqtree-1.5.0-Windows
```
(assuming that IQ-TREE was downloaded into Downloads folder).
Now you can try an example run by entering:
```
 bin\iqtree -s example.phy
```
(example.phy is the example PHYLIP alignment file also extracted in that folder).
After a few seconds, IQ-TREE finishes and you may see something like this:

Windows command prompt

Congratulations ;-) You have finished the first IQ-TREE analysis.

For Mac OS X users

Open the "Terminal", e.g., by clicking on the Spotlight icon (top-right corner), typing "terminal" and press "Enter".
Go into IQ-TREE folder by entering (assuming you downloaded version 1.5.0):
```
 cd Downloads/iqtree-1.5.0-MacOSX
```
(assuming that IQ-TREE was downloaded into Downloads folder).
Now you can try an example run by entering
```
 bin/iqtree -s example.phy
```
(example.phy is the example PHYLIP alignment file also extracted in that folder).
After a few seconds, IQ-TREE finishes and you may see something like this:

Mac terminal

Congratulations ;-) You have finished the first IQ-TREE analysis.

Minimal command-line examples

A few typically analyses are listed in the following. Note that it is assumed that iqtree executable was already copied into system search path. If not, please replace iqtree with actual path to executable.

Infer maximum-likelihood tree from a sequence alignment (example.phy) with the best-fit model automatically selected by ModelFinder:

  # for version >= 1.5.4
  iqtree -s example.phy

  # for version <= 1.5.3
  iqtree -s example.phy -m TESTNEW

  (use '-m TEST' to resemble jModelTest/ProtTest)

Infer maximum-likelihood tree using GTR+I+G model:
```
  iqtree -s example.phy -m GTR+I+G
```

Perform ModelFinder without subsequent tree inference:

  # for version >= 1.5.4
  iqtree -s example.phy -m MF

  # for version <= 1.5.3
  iqtree -s example.phy -m TESTNEWONLY

  (use '-m TESTONLY' to resemble jModelTest/ProtTest)

Combine ModelFinder, tree search, SH-aLRT test and ultrafast bootstrap with 1000 replicates:

  # for version >= 1.5.4
  iqtree -s example.phy -alrt 1000 -bb 1000

  # for version <= 1.5.3
  iqtree -s example.phy -m TESTNEW -alrt 1000 -bb 1000

Perform edge-linked proportional partition model (example.nex):

  iqtree -s example.phy -spp example.nex

  (replace '-spp' by '-sp' for edge-unlinked model)

Find best partition scheme by possibly merging partitions:

  # for version >= 1.5.4
  iqtree -s example.phy -sp example.nex -m MF+MERGE

  # for version <= 1.5.3
  iqtree -s example.phy -sp example.nex -m TESTNEWMERGEONLY
  
  (use '-m TESTMERGEONLY' to resemble PartitionFinder)

Find best partition scheme followed by tree inference and ultrafast bootstrap:

  # for version >= 1.5.4
  iqtree -s example.phy -spp example.nex -m MFP+MERGE -bb 1000

  # for version <= 1.5.3
  iqtree -s example.phy -spp example.nex -m TESTNEWMERGE -bb 1000

  (use '-m TESTMERGE' to resemble PartitionFinder)

Use 4 CPU cores to speed up computation:
```
  iqtree-omp -s example.phy -nt 4
```
Determine the best number of cores to use under GTR+R4 model:
```
  iqtree-omp -s example.phy -m GTR+R4 -nt AUTO
```
Show all available options:
```
  iqtree -h
```