Set up Build Environment on macOS

Note: This is only a one-time setup guide. For actually building KeePassXC, please refer to our build guide.

Install the build environment

Install Homebrew (it is the easiest way to install the required packages on macOS):

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

Next, install the needed build tools:

brew install cmake asciidoctor

Install build dependencies

To install the actual build dependencies, there are two options:

1. Via Homebrew (faster, but suitable only for local builds).
2. Via vcpkg (much slower, but suitable for distribution).

Option 1: Install build dependencies via Homebrew

Open a terminal and run:

brew install qt@5 argon2 botan qrencode readline minizip

Option 2: Install build dependencies via vcpkg

Set up vcpkg in a location of your choosing:

git clone https://github.com/Microsoft/vcpkg.git
./vcpkg/bootstrap-vcpkg.sh

Install pkg-config and (optionally) the vcpkg stub package via Homebrew:

brew install pkg-config vcpkg

If you installed the vcpkg stub package, set the ``VCPKG_ROOTenvironment variable to your install location. You can then run thevcpkg` from anywhere, given that Homebrew is in your `PATH`. Otherwise, call the `vcpkg` binary with its full path.

Finally, compile and install the actual build dependencies:

vcpkg install argon2 botan minizip qt5 qt5-svg qt5-tools qt5-imageformats \
    qt5-translations readline zlib libqrencode

Update your environment regularly

Homebrew:

brew update && brew upgrade

vcpkg:

cd vcpkg && git pull && ./vcpkg update