Static libraries in Qt 5.14 MinGW toolchain? (default Qt installation)

Question

Just now I noted that the MinGW Toolchain that comes with the default Qt installation, at least Qt 5.14, comes with a lib directory with libQt5*.a files. Are those files static libraries?

I think so because:

1. They have a size similar to the ones that I get when I compile Qt statically for release.
2. $file./libQt5Core.a outputs ./libQt5Core.a: current ar archive , which is the same that it outputs for the statically compiled ones.

If indeed they're static libraries, how can I tell QMake (for example editing the .pro file) to link to those instead of linking to the shared ones?

Answer 1

Are those files static libraries?

No. They are not static. Qt's default online installer provides only shared libraries. That *.a files are so-called import libraries.

Import library is an.a or.lib library, but it only contains bit of information needed to tell the linker/OS how your program interacts with the dll's.

If you need Qt static windows build for some reasons, you have some options:

• HARD Build whole Qt (or needed modules) byyourself .

• EASY Use vcpkg : vcpkg install qt5:x64-windows-static

With vcpkg you can create custom MinGW triplet if you need MinGW for some reason. But I suggest you stick with MSVC.