Dear ImGui Deployment and Usage Guide

Prerequisites

C++ Compiler: Visual Studio 2010 or newer, Xcode 9.0+, GCC 5.0+, or Clang 3.4+
Graphics API Support: DirectX 11/12, OpenGL 3.0+, Vulkan 1.0+, or Metal (macOS/iOS)
Build System: CMake 3.0+ or your preferred build system
Backend Dependencies (choose one):
- GLFW 3.3+ (for GLFW backend)
- SDL2 (for SDL2 backend)
- Win32 API (for Windows native backend)
- Metal (for macOS/iOS native backend)
- etc.

Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/ocornut/imgui.git
cd imgui

Include in your project:
- Copy the imgui/ directory into your project source tree
- Add the following core files to your build system:
  - imgui.h
  - imgui.cpp
  - imgui_demo.cpp
  - imgui_draw.cpp
  - imgui_tables.cpp
  - imgui_widgets.cpp
Select a backend (choose one):
- For GLFW: imgui_impl_glfw.h, imgui_impl_glfw.cpp
- For SDL2: imgui_impl_sdl.h, imgui_impl_sdl.cpp
- For DirectX11: imgui_impl_dx11.h, imgui_impl_dx11.cpp
- For OpenGL3: imgui_impl_opengl3.h, imgui_impl_opengl3.cpp
- For Vulkan: imgui_impl_vulkan.h, imgui_impl_vulkan.cpp

Configuration

Backend Setup

For GLFW + OpenGL3 example:

// Initialize ImGui context
IMGUI_CHECKVERSION();
ImGui::CreateContext();
ImGuiIO& io = ImGui::GetIO(); (void)io;
io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_NavEnableKeyboard; // Enable keyboard controls

// Setup Platform/Renderer bindings
ImGui_ImplGlfw_InitForOpenGL(window, true);
ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_Init(glsl_version);

// Setup Style
ImGui::StyleColorsDark();

Configuration Options

Set these in your code before creating the ImGui context:

ImGuiIO& io = ImGui::GetIO();
io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_NavEnableKeyboard; // Enable keyboard navigation
io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_NavEnableGamepad;  // Enable gamepad controls
io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_DockingEnable;     // Enable docking
io.ConfigWindowsResizeFromEdges = true;               // Enable edge-based window resizing

Build & Run

Example: GLFW + OpenGL3

Create a main.cpp:

#include "imgui.h"
#include "imgui_impl_glfw.h"
#include "imgui_impl_opengl3.h"
#include <GLFW/glfw3.h>

int main(int, char**) {
    // Setup window
    glfwInit();
    GLFWwindow* window = glfwCreateWindow(1280, 720, "ImGui OpenGL3 example", NULL, NULL);
    glfwMakeContextCurrent(window);
    glfwSwapInterval(1); // Enable vsync

    // Setup Dear ImGui context
    IMGUI_CHECKVERSION();
    ImGui::CreateContext();
    ImGuiIO& io = ImGui::GetIO(); (void)io;

    // Setup Dear ImGui style
    ImGui::StyleColorsDark();

    // Setup Platform/Renderer bindings
    ImGui_ImplGlfw_InitForOpenGL(window, true);
    ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_Init("#version 130");

    // Main loop
    while (!glfwWindowShouldClose(window)) {
        glfwPollEvents();

        // Start the Dear ImGui frame
        ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_NewFrame();
        ImGui_ImplGlfw_NewFrame();
        ImGui::NewFrame();

        // Show the ImGui demo window
        static bool show_demo_window = true;
        if (show_demo_window)
            ImGui::ShowDemoWindow(&show_demo_window);

        // Rendering
        ImGui::Render();
        int display_w, display_h;
        glfwGetFramebufferSize(window, &display_w, &display_h);
        glViewport(0, 0, display_w, display_h);
        glClearColor(0.45f, 0.55f, 0.60f, 1.00f);
        glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
        ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_RenderDrawData(ImGui::GetDrawData());

        glfwSwapBuffers(window);
    }

    // Cleanup
    ImGui_ImplOpenGL3_Shutdown();
    ImGui_ImplGlfw_Shutdown();
    ImGui::DestroyContext();

    glfwDestroyWindow(window);
    glfwTerminate();

    return 0;
}

Compile and run:

# Example using g++ with GLFW and OpenGL
g++ -std=c++11 main.cpp -Iimgui -lglfw -lGL -ldl -o imgui_example
./imgui_example

CMake Integration

Create a CMakeLists.txt:

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.10)
project(imgui_example)

find_package(glfw3 REQUIRED)
find_package(OpenGL REQUIRED)

add_executable(imgui_example main.cpp)
target_include_directories(imgui_example PRIVATE imgui)
target_link_libraries(imgui_example glfw ${OPENGL_gl_LIBRARY})

Deployment

Dear ImGui is typically deployed as part of a larger application. Here are platform-specific considerations:

Desktop Applications

Windows: Package with your application installer
macOS: Bundle with your .app package
Linux: Include in your distribution package

Web Applications (via WebAssembly)

Use Emscripten to compile C++ to WebAssembly
Include the ImGui backend for WebGL
Deploy as static files on any web host (Vercel, Netlify, AWS S3, etc.)

Mobile Applications

iOS: Include in Xcode project, use Metal backend
Android: Use CMake with NDK, choose OpenGL/Vulkan backend

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Black Screen / Nothing Renders

Ensure your graphics context is properly initialized before calling ImGui functions
Verify the backend initialization order: context → platform → renderer
Check that you're calling ImGui::Render() and the backend's render function

2. Compilation Errors

Verify you're including the correct backend implementation files
Ensure your compiler supports C++11 or newer
Check that you've linked against the required graphics library (GLFW, SDL2, etc.)

3. Input Not Working

Make sure you're calling the platform backend's NewFrame() and Render() functions
Verify mouse/keyboard callbacks are properly forwarded to ImGui
Check that io.WantCaptureMouse and io.WantCaptureKeyboard are handled correctly

4. Performance Issues

Use ImGui::ShowMetricsWindow() to debug draw call counts
Enable io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_DpiEnableScaleViewports for high-DPI displays
Consider using ImGui::Begin() with ImGuiWindowFlags_NoBackground for overlay-style UIs

Debug Builds

Enable debug tools:

io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_NavEnableKeyboard;
io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_NavEnableGamepad;
io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_DockingEnable;
io.ConfigFlags |= ImGuiConfigFlags_ViewportsEnable;

Getting Help

Check the Wiki for detailed documentation
Browse the Examples directory
Search existing Issues before creating new ones
Join the Discord community for real-time help

How to Deploy & Use ocornut/imgui