Homebrew (aka brew)¶
Updated June 17, 2025
Homebrew is a free tool for macOS that helps you easily install and manage useful apps and programs from the internet. Think of it like an app store—but instead of clicking around, you use simple text commands in the Terminal. It’s especially popular with people who use their Mac for programming or technical tasks, but it can be helpful for anyone who wants access to a wider range of software than what’s available in the Mac App Store.
What makes Homebrew great is how it handles the hard work for you. If you need a certain app, Homebrew will find it, download it, and set it up—all in one step. It also helps keep everything up to date, and it’s smart enough to install any extra tools the app might need to work properly. While it runs behind the scenes, Homebrew can make your Mac a lot more flexible and powerful, even if you’re not a tech expert.
Installation¶
Admin rights required
To use the instructions below, you absolutely need admin rights on your computer. You need to request your manager/supervisor to petition for those rights for valid reasons. Once you have approval, contact the IT manager to switch your account.
Simply run this command in Terminal:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
Troubleshooting¶
Command line tools for Xcode¶
Sometimes you have to install Xcode Command Line Tools prior to installing brew:
xcode-select –-install
Doctor¶
Calling the doctor command will indicate what possible issues there could be.
brew doctor
If that does not work you may need to call the command with it's path, for which there might be two alternatives:
/opt/homebrew/bin/brew doctor
/System/Volumes/Data/usr/local/Homebrew/bin/brew doctor
Add brew to your profile¶
Sometimes if zsh is used instead of bash the command doesn't work. Use one of these to make a shortcut to the command:
echo 'eval $(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)' >> ~/.zprofile
echo "export PATH=/opt/homebrew/bin:$PATH" >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'eval $(/System/Volumes/Data/usr/local/Homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)' >> ~/.zprofile
echo "export PATH=/System/Volumes/Data/usr/local/Homebrew/bin:$PATH" >> ~/.zshrc
If none of them work, then you will need to use opt/homebrew/bin/brew to call the command.
Uninstall brew¶
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/uninstall.sh)"
Resource: https://github.com/homebrew/install#uninstall-homebrew
Commands¶
Update and upgrade¶
brew update
brew upgrade --cask
brew upgrade --cask --greedy
To remove downloads and do a cleanup¶
brew cleanup
Check for installed casks¶
brew list --cask
Force the re-installation of a cask¶
brew install --cask --force CASK_NAME