System Requirements
Test My Computer
Check to see if your computer is set up correctly for using Blackboard, with our automatic Technical Test.
Known Issues
Please the list of known issues which have been confirmed by Blackboard as bugs: Known issues in Blackboard version 9.1.
Operating System and Browser Compatibility
| Windows Client Configuration | Internet Explorer 9 | Internet Explorer 8 | Internet Explorer 7 | Firefox 6.0 | Firefox 5.0 | Firefox 4.0 | Firefox 3.6 | Google Chrome 9.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows XP (32-bit) | Unsupported | Compatible | Unsupported | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible |
| Windows Vista (32-bit) | Certified | Compatible | Unsupported | Compatible | Compatible | Certified | Compatible | Compatible |
| Windows Vista (64-bit) | Compatible | Compatible | Unsupported | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible |
| Windows 7 (32-bit) | Certified | Compatible | Unsupported | Compatible | Compatible | Certified | Compatible | Certified |
| Windows 7 (64-bit) | Compatible | Compatible | Unsupported | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible |
| Mac OSX Client Configuration | Safari 5.0 | Safari 4.0 | Firefox 6.0 | Firefox 5.0 | Firefox 4.0 | Firefox 3.6 | Google Chrome 9.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mac OSX 10.5 “Leopard” | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible |
| Mac OSX 10.6 “Snow Leopard” | Certified | Compatible | Compatible | Compatible | Certified | Compatible | Certified |
| KEY | |
|---|---|
| Certified | Certified configurations are fully tested and supported |
| Compatible | Compatible configurations are partially tested but should function properly |
Blackboard Learn requires the latest version of Sun JRE 6.
No longer supported
The following technologies are not supported:
- Internet Explorer 6, 7
- Firefox 1.x, 2.0, 3.0, and 3.5
- Safari 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 and any version on Windows
- Mac OSX 10.3, 10.4 “Tiger”
Hardware requirements
| Microsoft Windows | Apple Macintosh | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating System | XP | Vista | Windows 7 | Mac 10.5 | Mac 10.6 |
| Processor Speed/Type | 300 MHz recommended; Intel Pentium/ Celeron family, or AMD K6/Athlon/ Duron family, or compatible processor recommended | 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor | 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor | Intel, Power PC G5, or Power PC G4 (867 MHz or faster) processor | Intel processor |
| CPU Memory (minimum) | 128 MB of RAM | 1 GB of RAM | 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit) | 512 MB of RAM | 1 GB of RAM |
| Monitor Resolution | 1024 x 768 | 1024 x 768 | DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver | 1024 x 768 | |
| Free Hard Disk Space (minimum) | 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of free disk space | 40 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of free space | 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit) | 9 GB of free disk space | 5 GB of free disk space |
JavaScript, Java and Cookies
JavaScript, Java and cookies must be installed/enabled in your web browser. If you are unsure if these technologies are enabled or not, please undertake the automatic Test My Computer check.
All UWE student thin-client machines, and student thick-client machines running Windows 2000/XP, have the correct version of Java installed.
UWE staff thin-client machines have Java installed. UWE staff thick-client machines running Windows 2000/XP have Java installed. Should staff have an incorrect version of Java they can have the correct version installed by raising a works request via the online ITS Works Request form.
Non-UWE computers can be upgraded to the correct version of Java by going to the Java website for PCs or the Apple website for Apple Macs.
Plug-ins and Downloads
Visit our Plug-ins and Downloads page for links to freely downloadable versions of software.
Non UWE equipment
Please see the UWE Policy for support of non-UWE Equipment, home PCs or networks.
