Architect Ryan

Add to the PATH on Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and up

📅 October 02, 2012 1 min read

In the process of setting up a new Mac, I installed node.js.  After the node.js installer finished, it recommended to add /usr/local/share/npm/bin to my path.  It turns out there is a very neat way to do this in OS X, the /etc/paths file!  The file contains a list (one per line) of paths that are added to the $PATH variable in the shell. Here are some quick directions to add to the path:

  • Open up Terminal.
  • Run the following command:
sudo nano /etc/paths
  • Enter your password, when prompted.
  • Go to the bottom of the file, and enter the path you wish to add.
  • Hit control-x to quit.
  • Enter “Y” to save the modified buffer.
  • That’s it!  To test it, in new terminal window, type:
echo $PATH

You should see something similar to this (including the path you’ve added!):

MacMini:~ ryan$ echo $PATH
/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/share/npm/bin

Here is a screenshot of what my file looks like:
Screenshot of nano with /etc/paths open





Related:
Add to the PATH on Windows 10
How to change environment variables on Windows 10


Ryan Hoffman

Written by Ryan Hoffman, an experienced team leader, certified Scrum Master and software architect.
Contact RyanFollow Ryan on Twitter


The postings on this site are my own and I am not speaking as a representative of my employer, any company or organization.