- What are Command Line Tools?
- How to Install Command Line Tools?
- How to Uninstall Command Line Tools?
- Common Problems with Command Line Tools Installation
If you're a macOS developer, you might have come across the term "Command Line Tools." Without installing these tools, you may miss important utilities needed for development on macOS. In this guide, we'll take a look at what command line tools are, why they are essential, what they include, and how to install them.
What are Command Line Tools?
Command line tools are essential software utilities and packages required to perform various tasks, such as compiling code or executing scripts on a macOS operating system, that can only be accessed through a terminal or command prompt.
Why are Command Line Tools useful?
While Xcode offers a vast integrated development environment (IDE), sometimes, developers need to use the command line interface (CLI) to perform some specific tasks. Command line tools offer Mac users a chance to run terminal-based applications during software development quickly.
What do Command Line Tools include?
Command line tools package comes with various UNIX-style tools and utilities such as Clang, GCC, command line utilities, and other development software.
Do I need Xcode to install Command Line Tools?
No, Xcode is not necessary to install Command Line Tools, but it provides an easy option to install them. Xcode is an integrated development environment that includes GUI development tools, a code editor, debugging tools, and other necessary coding tools.
How to Install Command Line Tools?
There are generally three ways to install Command Line Tools on your macOS.
Option 1: Installing Command Line Tools via Xcode
You can install the Command Line Tools via the Xcode IDE interface by following these steps:
- Launch Xcode on your Mac.
- Click on the Xcode option located in the left panel and select Preferences from the appearing dropdown list.
- A pop-up window will appear; select the "Downloads" option.
- Click the "install" button next to the "Command Line Tools" option.
- The installation process will start, and you will receive a notice when the tools are successfully installed.
Option 2: Installing Command Line Tools via Terminal
To use the Terminal window to install Command Line Tools, you need to open the Terminal application and run the following command:
xcode-select --install
This will trigger the installation prompt, and you need to follow the on-screen instructions to install the tools.
Option 3: Installing Command Line Tools via Homebrew
Homebrew is another option to install Command Line Tools on your macOS. Follow these simple steps to install the Command Line Tools with Homebrew:
- Install Homebrew if you haven't already by running the following command in a Terminal window:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)" - Once Homebrew is installed, run the following command in the Terminal window:
brew install git - The git package includes Command Line Tools.
How to Uninstall Command Line Tools?
Uninstalling Command Line Tools via Terminal
You can uninstall Command Line Tools via Terminal by running the following command:
sudo rm -rf /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools
This command will delete the entire directory where the Command Line Tools are installed, including its files and folders.
Uninstalling Command Line Tools via Xcode
To uninstall Command Line Tools via Xcode, follow these steps:
- Launch Xcode on your Mac.
- Click on the Xcode option located in the left panel and select Preferences from the appearing dropdown list.
- A pop-up window will appear; select the "Downloads" option.
- Select the "Command Line Tools" option, then click the "Uninstall" button located next to it.
- The uninstallation process will remove the Command Line Tools completely from your system.
Common Problems with Command Line Tools Installation
Xcode-select Error during installation
If you encounter an error similar to "xcrun: error: invalid active developer path," or "can't find Xcode," when trying to install Command Line Tools, you may have to reset your xcode-select path. To do so, run the following command in the terminal:
sudo xcode-select --reset
Command Line Tools Package Not Found Error
If you receive an error message similar to "Xcode can't find the Command Line Tools package," it means that the tools may not be installed correctly. To fix this, first, try updating software to see if the problem resolves:
softwareupdate --list
softwareupdate --all --install --force
If the error still persists, try installing the Command Line Tools via the Terminal method.
Command Line Tools Installation Stuck or Frozen
If you find that the Command Line Tools installation process is taking too long, or the process seems to be frozen, you can try stopping the process and retrying the installation. Open the Terminal and Cancel the current installation job by typing
Control + C
After canceling the process, you can restart the installation through any of the three options mentioned earlier in this guide.
Installing Command Line Tools is a necessary step for macOS developers. However, you now have the knowledge required to install and uninstall these useful tools on your macOS Catalina or M1, troubleshoot common problems, and understand the importance of Command Line Tools for your development work.
Look here if you need to know how to uninstall Xcode command line tools.
