Open Dental Computer Requirements for Dublin Practices

An Open Dental workstation needs a supported Windows version, 4 to 8 GB of memory, a screen of at least 1280 by 768, Microsoft .NET, and a wired network connection to the server. The program itself is light: the vendor puts its memory use at roughly 60 MB and a workstation install at 200 to 300 MB. What slows a Dublin front desk is almost never the program. It is the computer around it.

Last updated: November 2026

What are the vendor's published numbers?

From the vendor's computer requirements page:

• Memory: 4 to 8 GB recommended. Windows 11 itself needs 4 GB and 64 GB of storage, and 8 GB is where the vendor puts optimum performance.
• Display: a minimum resolution of 1280 by 768, at which some windows need the taskbar moved or hidden. The vendor recommends 27-inch 1080p monitors with built-in speakers.
• Storage: the program takes far less than 1 GB, so any drive works; SSD or NVMe is recommended but not required.
• Processor and video: newer and faster is better, and most modern graphics, including integrated Intel, should work.
• Software: Microsoft .NET is required.

The vendor's hardware sheet adds a typical workstation minimum of a dual-core processor, 8 GB of memory, 200 GB of storage and a 1000 Mbps network connection, with a quad-core processor and 500 GB suggested for new machines.

Which Windows versions still count?

The vendor supports Windows 11 and Windows Server 2016 through 2025. It does not support Windows 11 S, because the program cannot be installed through the Windows Store, and it stopped supporting Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. It also notes that home editions of Windows are sometimes unacceptable because of their networking limits, and that machines in one office do not all need the same operating system.

That Windows 10 date matters in practice. Many front-desk and operatory computers bought before 2022 still run it, and a computer that no longer gets security patches is a weak point on a network that carries patient records, whether or not the program still opens on it.

What do the operatory computers need that the front desk does not?

Imaging. A sensor in the operatory connects through a TWAIN driver, and the vendor notes that only 32-bit TWAIN drivers are supported for imaging devices. A new operatory computer is checked against the sensor's driver before it is ordered, not after it arrives.

The vendor's requirements page also lists browser support for its online services, and says that for electronic prescriptions Microsoft Edge is required. A provider workstation with Edge removed or blocked will fail at the prescription screen.

Does each computer need its own printer settings?

Yes. The program keeps printer choices per computer and per print job type, so claims, labels, statements and prescriptions can each go to a different printer from the same desk, and a replacement computer starts with an empty list. The vendor also notes that its hosted cloud users cannot open that printer setup window at all. On a new workstation, printers are set and test-printed from inside the program before it is handed to staff.

How should front desk, hygiene and provider stations differ?

• Front desk: the vendor's recommended 27-inch 1080p screen, or two, because the schedule and the account module are open side by side all day.
• Operatory: a machine that the imaging sensor's driver supports, a screen the patient can see, and a cable rather than Wi-Fi.
• Provider: Microsoft Edge kept installed and current for electronic prescriptions, and a sign-in that is the provider's alone.

Buying one model for every station is simpler to support. It is only cheaper in the long run if that model meets the operatory's imaging requirements too.

Can a laptop be a workstation?

Yes. The vendor says laptops or tablets running a full version of Windows that meet the other requirements can be used. The difference is that a laptop leaves the building, so it is encrypted before it ever connects to the server, signs in to the office over a VPN or remote-desktop gateway rather than directly, and is set to lock when the lid closes.

How many workstations can one server carry?

The program has no small fixed limit, but the server's operating system does. The vendor lists a maximum of 20 simultaneous connections to a Windows 11 file share, for all editions, against no limit on Linux. Its hardware sheet recommends allowing 20 to 25 percent more connections than workstations, to prevent rolling disconnects. An office at 16 or 17 workstations on a Windows 11 server is already at that edge.

How do we keep track of every computer?

With a list. The state Data Protection Act names the Center for Internet Security's Critical Security Controls as one framework a program can follow, and that framework begins with an inventory of the computers on the network. For a dental office the list is short: each workstation, who uses it, its Windows version, its memory, its age and its warranty date. It turns "replace the slow one" into a plan with a budget.

The same list catches the devices people forget. The state act also accepts a program built on the card industry's PCI security standard alongside another framework, and the card terminal at the front desk belongs on the inventory beside the computers.

What does a new workstation day look like?

1. Confirm the machine meets the numbers above and runs Windows 11 Pro.
2. Join it to the office network by cable, not Wi-Fi.
3. Install the program from the server's image folder, run it as administrator, and point it at the server, database and MySQL login.
4. Set the printers and scanner defaults, which are stored per computer.
5. Give each user their own Windows sign-in, without administrator rights, and an automatic screen lock.
6. Add it to the inventory.

The server it connects to is covered on the server install page. If the office is weighing a hosted system instead, the cloud hosting page explains why the workstations still matter.

Questions practices ask

Can Open Dental run on a Mac?

The vendor lists Linux or macOS as an alternative for the server; its supported list for computers is Windows, and for its hosted cloud it lists macOS offices as a poor fit.

Do all our computers need the same Windows version?

No, per the vendor, but each one needs a supported version.

How long should a workstation last?

There is no vendor number for that. In practice the deciding dates are when its Windows version leaves support and when its warranty ends, which is why both go on the inventory.

Why is one computer slower than the others?

Usually memory, an old spinning drive, Wi-Fi instead of a cable, or Windows 10 still waiting on updates it will never get.