NVivio Quickstart Guide
- Richard Leslie Talbot
- Steven Taylor
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Introduction
This brief documentation will cover how to access NVivio via University systems and from home, alongside the best methods to save your projects and export your work. Full documentation of using all of NVivo’s features can be found on their official website. Alternatively, ask a teacher for assistance if you’re struggling, as they are likely to have the most knowledge on NVivo or can point you to a member of staff who is able to help.
Accessing NVivo
NVivo should be accessed via our Software Hub, whether you’re on a personal device or working from a campus machine. You’ll likely notice there are two listed versions of NVivo, with one marked as the Current Version in grey text as shown below. The Previous Version named NVivo 12 is intended for use by select people and services for compatibility with older projects.
Note that the version number may change over time and will be different to what you see below.
There is no need to log in with an account for NVivo.
Personal Devices
Accessing university applications on your personal device will require you to install the AppsAnywhere app from the Software Hub. It’s super simple and we have a guide to help you if you don’t already have this installed. Once installed, return to this documentation to continue.
Essex Computers
Lab computers should already be prepared to launch applications from the Software Hub.
Navigate to the Software Hub
Type in the search box NVivo
Hit Enter
Locate NVivo (Current Version)
Click Install / Launch
Wait for NVivo to Launch
You should see that the Cloudpaging Player window appears and shows NVivo as running through a collection of stages before stating that it’s ‘Ready' or 'Running’. NVivo should now open and be available for use on your machine.
Version Check
If you wish to check your NVivo version for compatibility, follow the below steps. Older saved NVivo projects may ask to be upgraded to a newer version.
Open NVivo
Click About NVivo
Opening Projects
If you have an existing NVivo project, you will need to locate your NVivo file (usually with the nvp extension). This may be located on your M Drive or locally on your device.
Open NVivo
Click File
Click Open
Click Browse
Navigate to your NVivo file
Click the file
Click Open
Saving Projects
Whilst you are working on your NVivo project, you can simply click File and Save and NVivo will update the file you initially opened.
Alternatively, you can export the entire project and select a new location to store it.
Click Share
Click Export Project
Select a Location
Select elements of the project to export
You can also click Select All for all project files
Click OK
Project Backups
If you save your projects within your OneDrive, it should keep previous versions in case of any issues, however it’s also worth keeping a copy of your work at various intervals by following the below.
Click File
Click Copy Project
Give the project a Name
Click Browse…
Select a location to save
Click OK
Training Resources
If you require additional training with using NVivo, ask your teacher or you can check out the official guidance and YouTube series linked below.
Experiencing Issues?
General Usage Issues
If you are experiencing issues with using NVivo, we recommend the aforementioned guidance at the top of this page from the official website.
File Access Issues
If you are experiencing issues accessing your files, first ask your lecturer to assist where possible. Alternatively, contact the IT Helpdesk via our Live Chat or IT Portal and one of our friendly support staff will be able to help you.
Performance Issues
If you are experiencing issues with NVivo performance, please report this to your lecturer and take note of the machine experiencing the issue. Try using a different machine to see if that resolves the performance issues.