Some Mac users might want to install GCC on their MacOS computers. GCC, short for Gnu Compiler Collection, is widely used for compiling code in languages like C, C , Objective C, Go, Fortran, Ada, etc., and is often used for writing software or command line tools, whether for academic purposes or practical applications.

By default, Mac systems do not include GCC, but it can be installed relatively easily.

Steps to Install GCC on Mac

We will break this down into three steps: installing Command Line Tools, then installing HomeBrew, and finally installing GCC. This guide assumes you're using a recent version of MacOS (macOS Ventura or MacOS Monterey) and have an active internet connection.

1. Open Terminal via Spotlight by pressing Command Spacebar and typing "Terminal" followed by hitting return.

2. At the command prompt, enter the following to start the installation of Command Line Tools: xcode-select --install

3. Agree to install the Command Line Tools package. Once completed, you can proceed to install HomeBrew with the following command: /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

4. After HomeBrew finishes installing, you can install gcc with this command: brew install gcc

5. Upon completion, verify the installation and functionality of gcc by running: gcc --version

GCC should now be installed on your Mac, ready to compile code or serve your intended purpose.

Why can’t I just use gcc right after installing Command Line Tools on Mac?

While you can attempt to use the gcc command after installing Command Line Tools, it actually invokes clang. Apple places a gcc binary in /usr/bin/gcc that merely runs clang LLVM (try it yourself by typing 'gcc' and observing the clang error).

To use GCC specifically, you need to install it separately.

When I run ‘gcc’, I get an “xcrun: error: invalid active developer path” error message! What do I do?

If you encounter the “xcrun: error: invalid active developer path (/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools), missing xcrun at: /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/bin/xcrun” error message, you need to reinstall the command line tools on your Mac. If you’ve already installed them and recently updated MacOS, you might need to reinstall or update the command line tools through Software Update or by reinstallation.

Notably, you might face the same xcrun invalid active developer path error when trying to use git or other command line tools, and the solution remains the same.

What if I want to compile gcc from source on the Mac?

You can also compile GCC from source on your Mac if you prefer, but using Homebrew as a package manager simplifies the process since it manages all dependencies and libraries for you. Additionally, there are numerous benefits to using Homebrew.

That said, if you wish to compile GCC from scratch, you can download the latest version from the GCC GNU ftp mirror:

https://ftpmirror.gnu.org/gcc/

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Were you successful in installing GCC on your Mac? Did you face any issues? What are your thoughts on using Homebrew to install GCC on the Mac? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments.

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