POPFile requires a computer that is capable of running Perl. Most popular platforms have a Perl available for it. As of version 0.20 POPFile requires Perl 5.8.0 or better for Windows users or 5.6.0 or better for all other platforms. On Windows, POPFile is available in a pre-configured version that includes its own version of Perl.

If you need to install Perl, please check the Perl homepage for the distribution for your system. For Windows, go to ActiveState or cygwin. If you are using a Mac with a pre-OS X OS, you can get MacPerl.

There are a couple of Perl modules used by POPFile that do not come with the default Perl distributions. A list of those modules can be found on the Duplicate, outdated page. page.

POPFile needs to have read and write access for the folder it is installed in. It also needs to have access to TCP/IP ports for it to communicate between your email client and server as well as your web browser to display its interface. This may require modifying your personal firewall if you have one installed and running on your computer. Please see the manual for more information.