How to Install Brew on Mac OS

If you’ve spent any time around developers, designers, or even power users who love tinkering with their Mac, you’ve probably heard someone mention “Homebrew” or just “brew.” Maybe they said something like, “Oh, just brew install that,” and you nodded along even though you had no idea what they meant.

Here’s the good news: installing Homebrew on macOS is one of the simplest things you’ll ever do on your Mac, even if you’ve never opened Terminal before in your life. In this guide, we’ll walk through exactly how to install Brew on Mac OS, why you’d want it in the first place, and how to make sure everything is working correctly once it’s set up.

By the end of this article, you won’t just know the steps — you’ll actually understand what’s happening behind the scenes.

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What Is Homebrew, Anyway?

Before we jump into the installation steps, let’s quickly cover what Homebrew actually is, because understanding this makes the whole process click.

Homebrew is a free, open-source package manager for macOS (and Linux, too). Think of it like an app store, but for command-line tools and software that isn’t always available through the regular Mac App Store. Developers use it constantly to install things like:

Programming languages (Python, Node.js, Ruby)
Databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis)
Command-line utilities (git, wget, ffmpeg)
Even full desktop apps, through a feature called Homebrew Cask

Instead of hunting down installers from random websites, you just type a single command in Terminal, and Homebrew handles the downloading, installing, and updating for you. It’s fast, reliable, and has become the unofficial standard for managing software on a Mac.

Why You Should Install Brew on Mac OS

You might be wondering if you really need this. Here’s why so many people install it early on:

It saves time. Instead of downloading a .dmg file, dragging it to Applications, and running an installer, you type one line and you’re done.

It keeps things updated. Running brew upgrade updates every tool you’ve installed through Homebrew in one shot.

It’s clean. Uninstalling software installed via Homebrew is simple and doesn’t leave leftover files scattered across your system.

It’s the industry standard. If you’re learning to code, doing data science, or working in DevOps, chances are every tutorial you follow will assume you already have Homebrew installed.

Before You Install: What You’ll Need

Installing Homebrew doesn’t require much, but here’s a quick checklist:

A Mac running macOS — Homebrew supports both Intel and Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4) Macs.
Xcode Command Line Tools — Homebrew will actually prompt you to install these automatically if you don’t already have them, so don’t worry about doing this manually beforehand.
An internet connection — since the installer downloads files from GitHub.
Administrator access on your Mac, since installation requires entering your password at one point.

That’s it. No special software, no paid subscriptions.

Step-by-Step: How to Install Brew on Mac OS

Step 1: Open Terminal

Terminal is a built-in Mac app that lets you type commands directly instead of clicking around with your mouse. To open it:

Press Command + Space to open Spotlight Search
Type “Terminal”
Hit Enter

A window with a blinking cursor will pop up. That’s your command line, and it’s completely safe to use as long as you’re careful about what you paste into it.

Step 2: Run the Official Installation Command

Head to the official Homebrew website (brew.sh) to copy the current install command, since Homebrew occasionally updates it. As of now, the standard command looks like this:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Paste this into Terminal and press Enter.

Step 3: Enter Your Password

Terminal will ask for your Mac’s administrator password. Type it in (you won’t see characters appear as you type — that’s normal, it’s a security feature) and press Enter.

Step 4: Let the Installer Do Its Thing

Homebrew will now:

Check whether you have Xcode Command Line Tools installed, and install them if not
Download and set up Homebrew itself
Show you a progress log in Terminal

This can take anywhere from two to ten minutes depending on your internet speed and whether the Command Line Tools needed installing.

Step 5: Add Homebrew to Your PATH (Apple Silicon Macs)

If you’re using a newer Mac with an M-series chip, Homebrew installs to a different folder (/opt/homebrew) than older Intel Macs (/usr/local). After installation finishes, Terminal will usually show you two commands to run so your Mac knows where to find Homebrew. They typically look like this:

echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

Copy exactly what Terminal shows you (it can vary slightly), paste it in, and press Enter.

Step 6: Verify the Installation

Now for the satisfying part. Type this command:

brew --version

If you see something like Homebrew 4.x.x, congratulations — Brew is officially installed on your Mac.

You can also run:

brew doctor

This checks your system for any potential issues. If everything is fine, it’ll say something like “Your system is ready to brew.”

How to Use Brew After Installing It

Once installed, using Homebrew is refreshingly simple. Here are a few commands to get you started:

Install something: brew install wget
Update Homebrew itself: brew update
Upgrade all installed packages: brew upgrade
Uninstall a package: brew uninstall wget
See what’s installed: brew list
Install a desktop app (via Cask): brew install --cask visual-studio-code

Common Issues When Installing Brew on Mac OS

Even though the process is usually smooth, here are a few hiccups people run into:

“Command not found: brew” This almost always means the PATH wasn’t set up correctly. Re-run the eval command from Step 5, then restart Terminal.

Installation hangs on Xcode Command Line Tools Sometimes a separate popup window appears asking you to agree to Apple’s license. Check if it’s hidden behind Terminal.

Permission errors Make sure you’re logged in with an admin account. Homebrew needs to write to certain system folders during setup.

Slow download speeds This is usually just your internet connection, or occasionally GitHub being slow. Waiting it out or trying again later usually resolves it.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to install Brew on Mac OS is one of those small steps that ends up saving you hours down the line. Once it’s set up, installing new tools becomes a one-line command instead of a multi-step hunt across the internet. Whether you’re just starting to learn to code, getting into web development, or simply want an easier way to manage software on your Mac, Homebrew is worth having in your toolkit.

Give it a try, run a test install like brew install wget, and see how much smoother your workflow becomes.