How to install Git on Mac OS X

Mac Git installation FAQ: How do I install Git on Mac OS X?

There are at least two different ways to install Git on Mac OS X systems, and I've used both of these methods. The first approach is to use a Mac GUI installer, and the second is to use the command-line MacPorts project to install Git on Mac OS X.

1) Install Git on Mac OS X with the Git OS X installer

The simplest way to install Git on Mac OS X is to use a project named "Git OS X installer", which is hosted on Google Code. As of this writing (June 14, 2010), this GUI installer is very up to date, with a recent release on May 7, 2010. Their support forum also seems active.

I just used this Git installer to install Git on my iMac, which is running Mac OS X 10.6. The installer crashed the first time I tried to run it, but then I tried a second time, and it worked fine.

The README file that comes with the installer said that you can optionally run a shell script to get Git to work with GUI tools, and I did that as well. The shell script they provide had spaces in the filename, so I renamed it, opened a Terminal window, viewed the script source, and then ran it. I have to say, I don't know how necessary this is, but I know that I wouldn't remember to come back and do this later, so I did it now. After running this script you also need to log out, and log back in again for the changes to take effect.

2) Install Git on Mac OS X with MacPorts

A second way to install Git is by using MacPorts. If you already have MacPorts installed on your system, and are comfortable using it, this is also a pretty easy option. I believe it's how I install Git on my MacBook Pro, which is running Mac OS X 10.5.

To install Git on OS X using MacPorts, just run the MacPorts "port" command like this:

sudo port install git-core +svn

or perhaps like this:

sudo port install git-core +svn +doc +bash_completion +gitweb

to install Git on your Mac OS X system, depending on the options you'd like to have installed. (In a related note, I found that second command on the website for the excellent -- and free -- Pro Git book.)

Git Mac GUI client

As a final note regarding installing Git on Mac OS X, if you're interested in a Git GUI client, check out my article, The best Mac Git GUI client I can find.