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How to install gcc compiler on Mac OS X

Often times, you need c or gcc compiler to compile open source projects in Mac OS X. The problem is Mac OS X doesn’t install the gcc compiler by default.

If you try to install or compile some projects that required c/gcc compiler, following errors message will be logged :


configure: error: C compiler cannot create executables

configure: error: no acceptable C compiler found in $PATH

In terminal, type “gcc“, you will get message “command not found”.


$ gcc
-bash: gcc: command not found

Solution

To install gcc compiler on Mac OS X, you need to download and install “Command Line Tools for Xcode”, which is available in Apple’s developer page. See following steps :

1. Register Apple Developer Account

Access Apple’s developer page, to process on the download, you need to register an Apple account, it’s free, but need to spend few minutes to fill in the survey.

2. Command Line Tools for Xcode

In Apple developer page, “Developer Tools” category, find “Command Line Tools for Xcode“, choose your version and click on the xx.dmg file (file size is 100mb ++) to start the download.

Apple Developer Download Page

3. Installation

After .dmg file is downloaded, a small dialog will be prompted and show you this file – “Command Line Tools.mpkg“, just double click on it, follow the wizard guide to complete the installation.

install command line tools
install command line tools

4. Verification

After installation is completed, run “gcc -v” in terminal again. If everything fine, following output will be displayed.


mkyong$ gcc -v
Using built-in specs.
Target: i686-apple-darwin11
Configured with: {ignore long text…}
Thread model: posix
gcc version 4.2.1 (Based on Apple Inc. build 5658) (LLVM build 2336.9.00)

Done, the gcc version 4.2.1 is installed on Mac OS X successfully.

About Author

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Founder of Mkyong.com, love Java and open source stuff. Follow him on Twitter. If you like my tutorials, consider make a donation to these charities.

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Kkuja
8 years ago

Oh for * sake. I wanted to install GCC, not xcode! FYI, xcode is not gcc. Also, xcode doesn’t contain gcc, but LLVM. There is slight, but definite difference.

Suvom Das
4 years ago
Reply to  Kkuja

One good approach to work with GCC in mac is to install docker and run a container with GCC and mount a directory with the container. That’s it

Gregory John Casamento
3 years ago

I love how sometimes people give the simplest answers that do not really answer the ACTUAL question people are asking. This is how to install the clang/llvm gcc front end which is NOT gcc.

aziz
4 years ago

Configured with: –prefix=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr –with-gxx-include-dir=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.14.sdk/usr/include/c++/4.2.1
Apple LLVM version 10.0.0 (clang-1000.11.45.5)
Target: x86_64-apple-darwin18.0.0
Thread model: posix
InstalledDir: /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin
Found CUDA installation: /usr/local/cuda, version 8.0
this is what i got after gcc -v , can u please tell me whats went wrong

anonymous
6 years ago

it helps. thanks

Apurv Singh
8 years ago

Thanks a lot!. It was a great help. 🙂

Max Weis
8 years ago

I just tried the gcc installer (without xcode), works well:
https://github.com/kennethreitz/osx-gcc-installer

Gcherkos
9 years ago

tnx nd is important!
G

EWKY
10 years ago

thanks so much, this got me out of a jam!

Jonas
10 years ago

Hi mkyong,

I am having a problem with command tools, i am using mac 10.8, downloaded the command tool, install it.The installation goes step by step as described. But when installation finish, it treats the software as an external drive, or doesn’t install it in “machintosh HD” as it is supposed to. As a result you can’t find command tool if you run “gcc-v”.I checked if there is any similar problem, but i don’t see anywhere. Any idea why?

Divesh
1 year ago

Thank you so much sir , i really feel very bad when my first program of hello world doesn’t run.But after following ur steps i am able to do coding now.
Thanks

Benicio
4 years ago

Muchas muchas gracias!

MyName
4 years ago

This installs LLVM, not GCC. Type gcc –help and check the first lines.

walter henrique
5 years ago

thanks!

Letícia Conceição
6 years ago

Thanks! 🙂

Jorge Hernandez
8 years ago

I did this, gcc gives me its version info, but I still get the message “C Compiler cannot create executables”

Do I need to do anything else to get rid of that message?

Prudhvi Samayamanthula
8 years ago

my lap is 10.9 version and it says this is only downloadable for 10.7 or before

Myrtille
9 years ago

Thank you for this very clear explanation

Student
9 years ago

Thank you so much! I am a student. They asked us to write a C program without explaining how to set up the environment=) This was very helpful=)

Rene Z
9 years ago

Great help, I was getting stuck and this was amazing!

Tristan Xu
9 years ago

Helped!

Tanvi
9 years ago

Thanks a lot….i was successful in downloading the gcc on my mac.
thanks for sharing the thoughts, it was very helpful 🙂 🙂 .

darrennie
9 years ago

Thanks a bunch, yet again.

EdvanSousa
10 years ago

valeu irmão! funcionou pra mim muito bem! thanks a lot! works great!

Beckah
10 years ago

“Ayn:~ R$ gcc -v
Configured with: –prefix=/Developer/usr –with-gxx-include-dir=/usr/include/c++/4.2.1
xcrun: Error: failed to exec real xcrun. (No such file or directory)”

Andreas Daskalopoulos
10 years ago

Thanks!

Jia En
10 years ago

Hi, thanks for writing this post. I followed your instructions but command line tools won’t install properly.

I got this message instead when the installer told me installation had failed: “The installer can’t locate the data it needs to install the software. Check your install media or Internet connection and try again, or contact the software manufacturer for assistance.”

Do you have any idea what the problem might be?

Sincerely
Jia En

Neeraj Pradhan
10 years ago

I am getting this msg at the “Apple Developers Page”We appreciate your patience as we work to bring our developer services back online. Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles, software downloads, and other developer services are now available. What is the alternative. Is there one??

Neeraj Pradhan
10 years ago

I am getting this msg at the “Apple Developers Page”We appreciate your patience as we work to bring our developer services back online. Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles, software downloads, and other developer services are now available. What is the alternative, is there one??

Sreejith
10 years ago

Actually, you’re explaining the process of installing llvm-gcc which is actually not the actual gcc. Its a modified version made by Apple to compile C/Obj-C programs.

Although this is fine for most purposes, some other tools (I think its Ruby, not sure) require the original gcc package. Not the llvm one.

Fabian Thiem
10 years ago

Thanks!