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CLI Open source 25,864 installs/mo Trending 1.65×

zsh for Mac

UNIX shell (command interpreter)

Quick answer: zsh is a terminal emulator for macOS. Install it with brew install zsh. It is distributed under the MIT-Modern-Variant AND GPL-2.0-only AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND ISC licence. It has 25,864 Homebrew installs in the last 30 days.

What zsh is

zsh is a terminal emulator for macOS: UNIX shell (command interpreter).

It is distributed as a Homebrew formula, which builds or pours a binary and puts it on your PATH. It is distributed under the MIT-Modern-Variant AND GPL-2.0-only AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND ISC licence.

How to install zsh

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

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 Terminal & Shell

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Frequently asked questions

How do I install zsh on Mac?

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

Is zsh open source?

Yes — Homebrew distributes it under the MIT-Modern-Variant AND GPL-2.0-only AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND ISC licence.

Does zsh 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 zsh?

It was installed 25,864 times in the last 30 days according to Homebrew analytics, ranking #77 in this catalogue.

What version of zsh is current?

The latest packaged version is 5.9.2.