NXT Required Software

Fun Projects for your LEGO^® MINDSTORMS^® NXT!

How do I view the program (.rbt) files and get them to my robot?

Required Software

The downloadable programs for the projects (.rbt files) are written using the NXT-G programming system, which requires the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT software to be installed in order to view them, edit them, or download them to the NXT brick. The program files cannot be used with RoboLab or any of the other NXT programming systems, or viewed in standard text/graphics programs such as Microsoft Word or Adobe Reader.

If you have the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT software installed, then a program file will automatically load into the NXT-G programming system when you click on a program file link in the programming section of the building instructions for a project (such as this link to the Power_Saw program).


If you do not have the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT software installed, you will get a message something like this (this example alert is from Microsoft Windows XP).	If you do have the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT software installed, you will get a message something like this (this example alert is from Microsoft Windows Vista). Press the Open button to load the program into the NXT-G programming system.

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT software comes on the CD that is included in the retail version of the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT set, or can be bought separately here to go with the Education version of the NXT set.

Retail version of the
LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT kit
(includes software CD)

Education version of the
LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT kit
(CD sold separately)

LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT
software CD, available here.

Downloading Programs to the NXT

After the program file loads into the NXT-G programming system, you download it to the robot by connecting the USB cable to the NXT brick and pressing the Download button on the controller in the lower right corner of the NXT-G window.

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