diff --git a/.github/workflows/CreateRelease.yml b/.github/workflows/CreateRelease.yml
index 045f1c41a..a63917c7a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/CreateRelease.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/CreateRelease.yml
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ jobs:
         version: ${{ env.QT_VERSION }}
     - name: Install dependencies
       run: |
-        bash scripts/${{ runner.os }}/0_setup_env_ubuntu.sh --dont_install_qt --dowload_cgal_and_boost_src
+        bash scripts/${{ runner.os }}/0_setup_env_ubuntu.sh --dont_install_qt --dont_install_cgal_and_boost
         #needed by qt 5.15 on linux
         sudo apt-get install libxcb-icccm4-dev libxcb-image0-dev libxcb-keysyms1-dev libxcb-render-util0-dev libxcb-xinerama0-dev
     - name: Setup env variables
@@ -181,19 +181,11 @@ jobs:
           echo "artifact_suffix=" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
         fi
         echo "VCINSTALLDIR=C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Enterprise\VC" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-    - name: Install wget
-      run: |
-        $env:PATH = "${{ env.PATH }};C:\msys64\mingw64\bin;C:\msys64\usr\bin"
-        pacman.exe -S --noconfirm --noprogressbar wget unzip
     - name: Set Certificate
       run: |
         New-Item -ItemType directory -Path certificate
         Set-Content -Path certificate\certificate.txt -Value '${{ secrets.WIN_CERTIFICATE }}'
         certutil -decode certificate\certificate.txt certificate\certificate.pfx
-    - name: Download external libraries
-      shell: C:\shells\msys2bash.cmd {0}
-      run: |
-        bash scripts/${{ runner.os }}/0_download_ext.sh
     - name: Configure and Build
       shell: bash
       run: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/Linux.yml b/.github/workflows/Linux.yml
index 93140dbfb..2c9e34eac 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/Linux.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/Linux.yml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ jobs:
         version: ${{ env.QT_VERSION }}
     - name: Install dependencies
       run: |
-        bash scripts/${{ runner.os }}/0_setup_env_ubuntu.sh --dont_install_qt --dowload_cgal_and_boost_src
+        bash scripts/${{ runner.os }}/0_setup_env_ubuntu.sh --dont_install_qt --dont_install_cgal_and_boost
         #needed by qt 5.15 on linux
         sudo apt-get install libxcb-icccm4-dev libxcb-image0-dev libxcb-keysyms1-dev libxcb-render-util0-dev libxcb-xinerama0-dev
     - name: Setup env variables
diff --git a/.github/workflows/Windows.yml b/.github/workflows/Windows.yml
index 61c814e2d..7a5607ff3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/Windows.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/Windows.yml
@@ -34,14 +34,6 @@ jobs:
           echo "artifact_suffix=" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
         fi
         echo "VCINSTALLDIR=C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Enterprise\VC" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-    - name: Install wget
-      run: |
-        $env:PATH = "${{ env.PATH }};C:\msys64\mingw64\bin;C:\msys64\usr\bin"
-        pacman.exe -S --noconfirm --noprogressbar wget unzip
-    - name: Download external libraries
-      shell: C:\shells\msys2bash.cmd {0}
-      run: |
-        bash scripts/${{ runner.os }}/0_download_ext.sh
     - name: Ccache
       uses: hendrikmuhs/ccache-action@v1.2
       with:
diff --git a/scripts/Linux/0_setup_env_ubuntu.sh b/scripts/Linux/0_setup_env_ubuntu.sh
index a5b590df5..96ee502ce 100644
--- a/scripts/Linux/0_setup_env_ubuntu.sh
+++ b/scripts/Linux/0_setup_env_ubuntu.sh
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 # Run this script if you never installed any of the MeshLab dependencies.
 
 DONT_INSTALL_QT=false
-DOWNLOAD_CGAL_BOOST_SRC=false
+DONT_INSTALL_CGAL_BOOST=false
 
 #checking for parameters
 for i in "$@"
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ case $i in
         DONT_INSTALL_QT=true
         shift # past argument=value
         ;;
-    --dowload_cgal_and_boost_src)
-        DOWNLOAD_CGAL_BOOST_SRC=true
+    --dont_install_cgal_and_boost)
+        DONT_INSTALL_CGAL_BOOST=true
         shift # past argument=value
         ;;
     *)
@@ -40,22 +40,9 @@ echo "=== installing cmake, patchelf, gmp, mpfr and xcerces-c..."
 sudo apt-get install -y cmake patchelf libgmp-dev libmpfr-dev libxerces-c-dev
 
 # possibility to use always system libraries starting from ubuntu 20.04, since cgal is header only
-if [ "$DOWNLOAD_CGAL_BOOST_SRC" = false ] ; then
+if [ "$DONT_INSTALL_CGAL_BOOST" = false ] ; then
     echo "=== installing cgal and boost..."
     sudo apt-get install -y libcgal-dev libboost-all-dev
 else
-    echo "=== downloading cgal and boost sources..."
-    #default paths wrt the script folder
-    SCRIPTS_PATH="$(dirname "$(realpath "$0")")"
-    EXTERNAL_PATH=$SCRIPTS_PATH/../../src/external
-
-    cd $EXTERNAL_PATH
-
-    wget https://boostorg.jfrog.io/artifactory/main/release/1.75.0/source/boost_1_75_0.zip
-    unzip boost_1_75_0.zip
-    rm boost_1_75_0.zip
-
-    wget https://github.com/CGAL/cgal/releases/download/v5.2.1/CGAL-5.2.1.zip
-    unzip CGAL-5.2.1.zip
-    rm CGAL-5.2.1.zip
+    echo "=== jumping installation of cgal and boost packages..."
 fi
diff --git a/scripts/Windows/0_download_ext.ps1 b/scripts/Windows/0_download_ext.ps1
deleted file mode 100644
index 6368a2352..000000000
--- a/scripts/Windows/0_download_ext.ps1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-$DIR = Get-Location
-
-#default paths wrt the script folder
-$SCRIPTS_PATH = $PSScriptRoot
-$EXTERNAL_PATH = Join-Path $SCRIPTS_PATH ..\..\src\external
-
-cd $EXTERNAL_PATH
-
-#going back to original location
-cd $DIR
diff --git a/scripts/Windows/0_download_ext.sh b/scripts/Windows/0_download_ext.sh
deleted file mode 100644
index e7a833ee4..000000000
--- a/scripts/Windows/0_download_ext.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-#default paths wrt the script folder
-SCRIPTS_PATH="$(dirname "$(realpath "$0")")"
-EXTERNAL_PATH=$SCRIPTS_PATH/../../src/external
-
-cd $EXTERNAL_PATH