Can't open R after I download it

[Econ465]

I have a question I hope someone can help me with. I am taking an Econometrics class and my professor is requiring us to download RStudio for the class. I downloaded the free version onto my computer, going through the installation process and when I was done it said it was installed. The problem is when I went to open it on my desktop (that’s where I saved it) it said it wasn’t installed. This is what happens when I try to open it:

I get a message that says “RStudio requires an existing installation of R in order to work. Please select the version of R to use." It gives me three options: My computers default version R 64 bit, My computer’s default version of R (32 bit), and a specific version of R. I have tried all. When I select "a specific version" it opens up “files” on my computer and I select the R Studio file on my desktop.
I get an error message saying that “this directory does not appear to contain a valid R installation. Please try again”

Does anyone know how I can fix this? Just to clarify, I have downloaded RStudio and I get the confirmation that it is downloaded, but then when I try to open it it says it isn't downloaded. I have tried a couple times to download it and the same thing happens. Please help!

[technocrat]

You need to go to the R homepage and download and install the version for your operating system. Take the defaults and RStudio is almost certain to be able to find it without trouble.

[andresrcs]

R and Rstudio are two different things but you need the former for running the latest. Maybe this FAQ could clarify things for you.

Differentiating R from RStudio

Aside: goals for this thread

I'm hoping this will help people disambiguate R from RStudio, and also help with getting questions in the right category. This is a bit of a mashup of the times I've tried to explain this in individual threads, so please feel free to add to this topic for further clarification/point out corrections, etc.

Before putting a code-related question in the #rstudio-ide category or using the rstudio tag, it's helpful to ask yourself: Does this work in the regular R GUI, but not when you're in RStudio? If you're using RStudio, you're using R — RStudio is just an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) in which you are using the R language. (On of my favourite fi…

[Econ465]

I hadn't realized that R and RStudio were two different things, I have since figured it out, thank you for your help!

[andresrcs]

If your question's been answered (even by you!), would you mind choosing a solution? It helps other people see which questions still need help, or find solutions if they have similar problems. Here’s how to do it:

FAQ: How do I mark a solution?

If your question has been answered, don't forget to mark the solution! How do I mark a solution? Find the reply you want to mark as the solution and look for the row of small gray icons at the bottom of that reply. Click the one that looks like a box with a checkmark in it: [image] Hovering over the mark solution button shows the label, "Select if this reply solves the problem". If you don't see the mark solution button, try clicking the three dots button ( ••• ) to expand the full set of options. When a solution is chosen, the icon turns green and the hover label changes to: "Unselect if this reply no longer solves the problem". Success! [solution_reply_author] …