How to Fix “Command Not Found” Errors in Mac Terminal?

Command not found errors are common when using the command line in Mac. It means that the command you typed was not recognized as a valid command and an error message was returned. This error can occur due to a variety of reasons, such as incorrect spelling, wrong syntax, or the command is not installed on the system. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to debug and resolve command not found errors.

Why Do You See “command not found” error messages on the command line?

This error typically occurs when the user attempts to type a command or execute a script that the system does not recognize. This can happen for a variety of reasons including:

• The command or script is not installed on the system
• The command or script is installed but not in the system’s PATH environment variable
• The user has mistyped the command or script name

How to Fix “Command Not Found” Errors in Mac Command Line?

The "command not found" error message typically occurs when the user attempts to type a command or execute a script that the system does not recognize. This can be fixed by making sure that the command is spelled correctly and that the command’s path is included in the system PATH variable.Try this ways to fix it.

1. Check your spelling:

One of the most common causes of command not found errors is simply a typo. Double-check your spelling and make sure the command you are trying to use is in fact the correct command.

2. Check the PATH variable:

The PATH variable is a list of directories the system will look in when executing commands. If the directory containing the command you’re trying to execute isn’t listed in the PATH variable, the command won’t be found.

To check if the command is in a directory listed in the PATH variable, you can run the following command:

echo $PATH

This command will print out all of the directories listed in the PATH variable, so you can check to see if the command is in one of them. If not, you can add the directory containing the command to the PATH variable.

3. Set $PATH as the default macOS path

The “command not found” error is a common problem encountered by Mac users when using the command line. This error can occur if the user has not set the $PATH environment variable to the default macOS path. In this guide, we will show you how to set $PATH as the default macOS path in order to fix “command not found” errors.

Instructions:

Step 1. Open the Terminal app.

Step 2. Type the following command:

export PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin"

Step 3. Press Enter to set the $PATH variable to the default macOS path.

Step 4. To make sure that the change has been applied, type the following command:

echo $PATH

Step 5. You should see the following output:

/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin

4. Make the command executable:

Commands need to have the executable permission set in order for the system to run them. You can set the executable permission by running the command “chmod +x /path/to/command”.

5. Check the path:

The next step is to check the path. If the command is not found, it may be that the path has not been set correctly. Open the Terminal window and type “echo $PATH”. This will show you the path that the system is currently using. If the command or script is not in

6. Check for missing libraries:

If the command is referencing a library (e.g., libc) that isn’t installed on the system, the command won’t work. Make sure all of the command’s required libraries are installed.

7. Add Your directory to PATH

If you’ve ever received an error like “zsh: command not found” in your Mac command line, it can be frustrating. This error occurs when you attempt to run a command in the terminal and the command is not found in your PATH. This can happen if the command is not installed, or if the directory containing the command is not included in your PATH variable. To fix this error, you will need to add your directory to your PATH variable. This guide will show you how to do this in a few simple steps.

Step 1. Open the Terminal app.

Step 2. Type the following command and press enter:

echo $PATH

Step 3. This will print out the current directories in your PATH variable.

Step 4. Now, create a new directory in your home directory to contain executable files. For example, if you wanted to name your directory “bin”, you would type the following command in the terminal:

mkDIR ~/bin

Step 5. Now, add this directory to your PATH variable by typing the following command in the terminal:

export PATH=$PATH:~/bin

Step 6. This will add the new directory to the end of your PATH variable.

Step 7. Finally, verify that the directory has been added to your PATH variable by typing the following command in the terminal:

echo $PATH

Step 8. This will print out the current directories in your PATH variable. You should see your new directory listed at the end of the list.

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you have successfully added your directory to your PATH variable and should no longer receive “command not found” errors in your Mac command line.

8. Reinstall the Command

If the command is installed but still not found, it may be due to a corrupted or outdated version. To fix this, you can try reinstalling the command.

For example, if you are trying to use the “brew” command and you get the “zsh: command not found: brew” error, you can reinstall the command line tool by running the following command:

/usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/uninstall)"

“Command Not Found” errors in Mac Command Line can be frustrating, but they are usually easy to fix. In this guide, we discussed some of the most common causes and solutions for these errors. If you still can’t get the command to work, you can always reset your system.

FAQ for “Command Not Found” error on MacOS