Installing Xcode Tools and X11

Jeff Roberts updated December 5 at 1:29 PM


Questions Addressed

  • How do I install Xcode and X11? How do I install Xcode and X11?

Installing Xcode

  1. Open App Store in your Applications folder.
  2. Make sure you are logged in to your Apple ID, if not sign out of the current account. You can check this by selecting the Store menu.



  3. Use the search field in the top right of the window to search for Xcode.



  4. In the Xcode tile, click on Free. The button will change and now click on Install App.



  5. Once prompted, sign in with your Apple ID.



Note: If you do not have an Apple ID and need to create one, follow the instructions found on this wiki page: Create an Apple ID without a Credit Card

Installing Xcode Command Line Tools

Method 1 (for OS X 10.9 and above)

  1. Navigate to /Applications/Utilities
  2. Open Terminal.
  3. Type in the following command:

    xcode-select --install

Method 2 (for all other OS X versions)

  1. Open Xcode in your Applications folder.
  2. Go to Xcode > Preferences in the top toolbar.
  3. Click on the Downloads tab.
  4. Install Command Line Tools.
  5. Check the box for "Check and install updates automatically"

Installing XQuartz

Starting in 10.8, Apple's X11 has been replaced by XQuartz. It is exactly the same; in fact, previous X11 was simply XQuartz that Apple took and replaced with its own logo.

You can download and install xquartz from: http://xquartz.macosforge.org/landing/


If you need further assistance, please contact IGPP Net Ops.