Xcode Command Line Tools

Written & tested for accuracy by a developer (not AI)

Install the Full Xcode Application

Apple provides a complete development environment for programmers named Xcode. It is not pre-installed; it must be downloaded. The full Xcode application is huge, requiring over 40GB of disk space, and supports development for all Apple operating systems.

Apple also provides a separate and much smaller download, the Xcode Command Line Tools, that installs utilities for software developers who are not developing for Apple devices.

If you are developing software for macOS, iOS, tvOS, and watchOS, you should install the full Xcode application.

Before you get started

I recommend using our free app to set up your development environment. It is a FREE Mac app that installs the Command Line Tools, configures your shell, installs Homebrew and Git, and verifies everything works. It doesn't install the full Xcode application, but it will install the smaller Command Line Tools package. Here are all the details about the app before you download. Then:

If you want to install the full Xcode application, here is a guide.

Steps

If you are not developing for Apple devices, I suggest to Install Xcode Command Line Tools with Homebrew (recommended) or Install Xcode Command Line Tools Directly (an alternative). However, if you are developing for Apple devices, you should install the full Xcode application.

Here are steps to install the full Xcode application.

  1. Open the App Store on your Mac and search for Xcode.
  2. Download Xcode from the App Store.
  3. After your download is complete, launch Xcode.
  4. Enter your administrator account credentials.

Verify installation

The full Xcode application will be installed in /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer.

You can check the location with the command xcode-select -p.

$ xcode-select -p
/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer

Uninstall the Xcode application

If you've decided you no longer need the full Xcode application, you can uninstall it.

Find the Xcode application in the Applications folder and drag it to the Trash.

Remove Xcode residual files

Xcode leaves leftover files in two locations:

  • ~/Library/Developer/
  • ~/Library/Caches/

What's next

My mac.install.guide is a trusted source of installation guides for professional developers. Take a look at the Mac Install Guide home page for tips and trends and see what to install next.