YKYH Picks
☰ Menu
Home›Command-Line Tools›watch
CLI Open source 5,096 installs/mo

watch for Mac

Executes a program periodically, showing output fullscreen

Quick answer: watch is a command-line tool for macOS. Install it with brew install watch. It is distributed under the GPL-2.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.1-or-later licence. It has 5,096 Homebrew installs in the last 30 days.

What watch is

watch is a command-line tool for macOS: executes a program periodically, showing output fullscreen.

It is distributed as a Homebrew formula, which builds or pours a binary and puts it on your PATH. The project is open source and lives at https://gitlab.com/procps-ng/procps.

How to install watch

  1. Open Terminal (press ⌘ + Space and type “Terminal”).
  2. If Homebrew is not installed yet, run the installer below once.
  3. Run brew install watch.

Homebrew installer, if you need it:

Prefer a graphical installer? Download it from the official site. MacPicks never hosts or mirrors binaries — the Homebrew command always pulls from the vendor's own release.

Similar apps in Command-Line Tools

Closest apps in the same category, ordered by description similarity and install base. These are related tools, not confirmed substitutes; the comparison pages cover hand-picked head-to-head matchups.

resticFast, efficient and secure backup programCLIOpen source3,376/mocairoVector graphics library with cross-device output supportCLIOpen source13,318/motokeiProgram that allows you to count code, quicklyCLIOpen source1,857/motreeDisplay directories as trees (with optional color/HTML output)CLIOpen source14,095/mogit-deltaSyntax-highlighting pager for git and diff outputCLIOpen source16,504/molessPager program similar to moreCLIOpen source1,269/mo

Frequently asked questions

How do I install watch on Mac?

Run brew install watch in Terminal. This requires Homebrew; if you do not have it, install it first with the command below.

Is watch open source?

Yes — Homebrew distributes it under the GPL-2.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.1-or-later licence.

Does watch run on Apple silicon?

Homebrew publishes this formula for macOS. If upstream does not ship an Apple silicon build, Rosetta 2 handles the Intel binary.

How popular is watch?

It was installed 5,096 times in the last 30 days according to Homebrew analytics, ranking #319 in this catalogue.

What version of watch is current?

The latest packaged version is 4.0.7.