Mac users with macOS Mojave and macOS Catalina, and new operating systems in place can now install Command Line Tools from the Xcode IDE without needing to install the entire Xcode package, or opening an Apple developers account.
- If you upgrade to macOS 10.15 Catalina or macOS 11 Big Sur you’ll need to install the Epson Scan 2 driver below; however, this updated Epson Scan 2 version does not include Digital ICE. As a solution, we are providing the SilverFast SE Scanner Software free of charge.
- And, follow the above video to install macOS 10.15 Catalina on VirtualBox on Windows 10 PC.
- Chocolatey is software management automation for Windows that wraps installers, executables, zips, and scripts into compiled packages. Chocolatey integrates w/SCCM, Puppet, Chef, etc. Chocolatey is trusted by businesses to manage software deployments.
Did you know: Using Xcode app leaves behind a lot of junk files a.k.a. 'development junk.' These files are usually hidden from view but you can delete them with a Mac maintenance app CleanMyMac X.
In this article, we cover how you can install this optional and highly useful Command Line Tools package.
X code 11. Credit: developerinsider
What is the Xcode Command Line Tools package?
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For Mac power users — we wouldn't recommend downloading this unless you are comfortable with Terminal — the Xcode Command Line Tools package gives you a complete Unix toolkit accessible through Terminal. No developer account needed and you don't need to download the entire — and quite large Xcode package of executables.
Within the Xcode Command Line toolkit, Mac users gain access to numerous useful tools, utilities, and compilers, including make, GCC, clang, perl, svn, git, size, strip, strings, libtool, cpp, and many others. All of these commands are a default part of Linux systems and programs.
We recommend following these steps for those with the following operating systems running on a Mac: macOS 10.13 High Sierra, macOS 10.14 Mojave, and macOS 10.15 Catalia onward. It isn't always possible to download these Xcode Command Line Tools, following these steps, on Mac’s running older operating systems. Other ways to install command tools and gcc (without needing Xcode) is available through the Apple Developer website.
Here is how you install Xcode Command Line Tools.
How to install Xcode Command Line Tools?
- Go to Terminal in /Applications/Utilities/.
- Input the following command string in Terminal:
xcode-select —install
- In the same way when you are downloading new software and apps, a popup update window will appear asking you: “The xcode-select command requires the command line developer tools. Would you like to install the tools now?”
- Select confirm by clicking Install.
- Wait for the Xcode Command Line Tools package to install. It is around 130 MB and usually installs fairly quickly; although it depends on your connection.
- Once everything is installed, the installer goes away and you should be able to any of the new commands that you’ve now got access to. Enjoy using your new Unix command line tools!
Alternative way to install command line tools
If the Terminal combination didn't work, open the Finder > Go to Folder...menu.
Paste in the following path:/System/Library/CoreServices
In that location, find the app called Install Command Line Developer Tools.app — it will have a blue globe icon.
Click this app and then try the Terminal method explained above.
With this new download, you should have access to 61 Unix command line tools. For example, one of the advantages of having these tools is you can install new apps and software directly from the source code instead of needing to go through the package manager and usual download route.
To access or view everything you've now got, go to the following directory:
/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/
Please note, this is the root /Library of your macOS/OS X, not the ~/Library directory.
All of these tools can also be found in: /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/bin/
These tools like small executable apps (which they are):
What happens if I encounter problems downloading these?
If you get an error message that says “Can’t install the software because it is not currently available from the Software Update server”, it means you've already got the Xcode package on your Mac. Mac OS X 10.9 onward, Xcode was already installed, which is why you aren't able to download these tools. However, what you can do is uninstall the entire Xcode app if you'd prefer to only access these tools and not a whole load of software that isn’t going to be of much use.
Watch out for Xcode junk
The Xcode junk is one of those types of clutter that is keeps accumulating in remote places on your Mac. It could take up a few gigs of your space. The only app that seems to address this problem is CleanMyMac X by MacPaw. It’s loved by many Mac developers because it collects those specific types of development junk, like Xcode or outdated libraries.
Once you launch the app, click on System Junk > Scan. Then, click “Review Details”
CleanMyMac X is a powerful Mac performance improvement app. It makes your Mac as good as new. Let it scan your system and clear out any unwanted Xcode, development and system junk that is taking up too much space and cluttering up your Mac. In a few clicks, your Mac could be running smoother, quicker and more efficiently.
I purchased a used 2018 Mac mini desktop and wanted to put a fresh installation of the latest macOS 10.15 Catalina on it. Below are the steps I took.
Install Pivot Pin S&w M&p 10-15
Note: The instructions below are the same for macOS 10.13 High Sierra and macOS 10.14 Mojave.
Download macOS Catalina
You will need a Mac to download macOS Catalina; you can download Catalina from The Mac Go. (The Mac mini came with macOS 10.14 Mojave so I used it to download Catalina.)
Go to the Mac App Store, search for “macOS Catalina”, and download it. It will be saved to the “/Applications/Install macOS Catalina” location. If the installer automatically launches, just close it.
Note: If you plan to run the installer first to update your current macOS version to Catalina, you will want to move the “Install macOS Catalina” application out of the “/Applications” directory; otherwise, the installer will delete itself from the “/Applications” directory when the upgrade completes. For example, you can move the “Install macOS Catalina” application to the “~/Downloads” directory and run it from there.
Format USB Flash Drive
Because macOS Catalina is 8.4GB in size, you will need a 16GB USB flash drive. You don’t need to delete the existing content on the drive because we will blow it all away in a subsequent step.
If the USB flash drive is not already formatted as “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)”, format it like so:
- Plug the USB flash drive into your Mac.
- Launch the “Disk Utility” application.
- On the left-hand pane, select the USB drive (not the partition under it, if any).
- Click on the “Erase” tab (or button at the top).
- Input a name like “Catalina” (this name will be overwritten later).
- Select “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” for “Format”.
- If available, select “Master Boot Record” for “Scheme”.
- Click the “Erase” button at the bottom. Click the “Erase” button in the warning popup dialog if you get one.
- The format operation may take several minutes to complete. (USB 2.0 and large capacity drives may take longer.) After the format completes, the partition will be mounted under “/Volumes/Catalina” (or whatever name you selected above).
- Close the “Disk Utility” application.
Write macOS Catalina to USB Flash Drive
To create a bootable USB macOS Catalina installer, run the “Terminal” application and this command:
sudo/Applications/Install macOS Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume/Volumes/Catalina
# You will be prompted for your user's administrative password.
Note: If the createinstallmedia command returns a “Failed to start erase of disk due to error (-9999, 0)” error, then your current Mac OS X version does not fully support the createinstallmedia tool. Use a more recent macOS version (at least Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan) or manually create the USB installation drive using instructions from Bootable USB Flash Drive to Install Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite.
The “createinstallmedia” program will erase the USB flash drive, create a new partition named “Install macOS Catalina”, and copy the installation files to that partition. The output will look like:
Copying to disk: 0%... 10%... 20%... 30%... 40%... 50%... 60%... 70%... 80%... 90%... 100%
Making disk bootable...
Copying boot files...
Install media now available at '/Volumes/Install macOS Catalina'
The above process took 20-30 minutes using my Kingston USB 2.0 flash drive.
Boot From USB Flash Drive
Note: Apple’s How to create a bootable installer for macOS page suggest using the “Startup Disk” configuration (under “System Preferences”) to select the USB flash drive as the startup drive. Then on restart, the Mac should boot from the USB flash drive. Unfortunately, the “Startup Disk” did not list my USB flash drive as a startup option, so I was not able to use this method.
To boot a Mac with the USB flash drive:
Install 10.15 Developer Preview Mac
- Insert the USB flash drive.
- While holding the “option” key down, turn on the Mac to display the Startup Manager.
- You should see one or more icons, one of which should be called “Install macOS Catalina” for the USB flash drive. (The internal hard drive may not be visible if it does not have a valid, bootable partition installed.)
- Note: If you don’t see the USB flash drive’s “Install macOS Catalina”, try removing and re-inserting the USB flash drive while viewing the Startup Manager screen. The USB flash drive should then appear after a few seconds.
- Select the “Install macOS Catalina” (with left/right arrow keys) and hit the “return/enter” key to boot from the USB flash drive.
It may take 5-10 minutes to load the installer from the USB flash drive. Sometimes the progress bar may appear to be frozen or the screen will go black for a minute or two. Be patient.
External Startup Disk Not Allowed
On a newer Mac with the T2 security chip, booting from an external drive may be disallowed by default. Attempting to boot from a USB flash drive will result in a “Security settings do not allow this Mac to use an external startup disk” warning message.
To allow booting from the USB flash drive, do the following:
- Hold down “Command-R” (hold down both the “Command ⌘” and “R” keys) when you start the Mac to launch macOS Recovery. You can release the keys when you see the Apple logo.
- Tip: An easier alternative is to hold the “Option/Alt” key on boot to launch the Startup Manager. Then just click and release “Command-R” keys to launch macOS Recovery.
- The macOS Recovery screen contains a top-level “macOS Utilities” menu.
- Click on the “Utilities” menu and select “Startup Security Utility”. Input your administrator password when prompted.
- In the Startup Security Utility, under “Allowed Boot Media”, select the “Allow booting from external or removable media” option.
- If the Mac won’t have access to the Internet (either by wire or wirelessly) when installing macOS Catalina, make sure to select either the “Medium Security” or “No Security” option under the “Secure Boot” section. (You can change the option back to the default “Full Security” afterwards.)
- Quit the macOS Utilities to restart the Mac.
- On restart, follow the directions in the previous section to boot from the USB flash drive.
Erase the Internal Hard Drive
When the installer finishes loading, you will see a “macOS Utilities” screen appear. It looks the same as the “macOS Recovery” screen with one difference. In the “macOS Utilities” window, the second option will say “Install macOS” instead of “Reinstall macOS”. In “macOS Recovery”, the “Reinstall macOS” option would just re-install the same version of macOS. The “Install macoS” option will install the macOS Catalina version on the USB flash drive.
Before installing macOS, I wanted a clean slate so I erased the internal hard drive like so:
- Select the “Disk Utility” option and click the “Continue” button on the bottom to launch the “Disk Utility” application.
- On the left-hand pane, select the internal hard drive (not the partition under it, if any).
- Click on the “Erase” button at the top.
- Keep the default “Macintosh HD” name or input a new one.
- Select “APFS” for “Format”.
- Click the “Erase” button at the bottom. The SSD (Solid State Drive) format took less than a minute to complete.
- Close the “Disk Utility” application.
Install macOS Catalina
Warning: If your Mac has a T2 security chip and you left the “Full Security” option configured in the Startup Security Utility, make sure that Internet access (wired or wireless) is available before starting the macOS Catalina installation. You can configure the wireless network by clicking on the wireless icon at the top-right corner of the macOS Utilities screen.
Back at the “macOS Utilities” window, do the following to start the macOS Catalina installation:
Install 10.15.7
- Click on the “Install macOS” option and click the “Continue” button.
- The “macOS Catalina” installer’s splash screen will appear. Click the “Continue” button.
- Click on the “Agree” button to agree to the license. A popup confirmation window will appear; click on the popup’s “Agree” button.
- Select the internal hard drive and click the “Install” button.
My Mac mini took 20-30 minutes to complete the macOS Catalina installation. I think there were a couple of reboots in-between. And a few times, the screen would go black for a minute or two. Be patient and give the process an hour or more to complete.
If you run into problems installing macOS Catalina, check the “What Does Giving Up Mean?” section (at the bottom) of Install macOS Sierra Using Bootable USB Flash Drive for possible solutions.
Note: macOS Catalina seems to have an issue with my Dell 24in U2410 monitor. During the initial bootup screen, the monitor shows a blank screen with a message, “The current input timing is not supported by the monitor display”. Thankfully, the monitor works correctly after the bootup completes. And later, this warning message no longer appeared on bootup.
Enjoy your fresh installation of macOS 10.15 Catalina.