To add a folder of a binary file to the PATH environment variable on macOS, follow these steps:
Open your Terminal
Personally, I use macOS native terminal. But some developers prefer Hyper or CommanderOne
Edit the Bash or Zsh Profile
If you are using bash, you will edit the ~/.bash_profile or ~/.bashrc file.
If you are using zsh (the default shell on macOS since Catalina), edit the ~/.zshrc file.
Use a text editor to open the file. For example, with vim, you can use:
vim ~/.zshrc
Add the Directory to PATH: Add the following line to the end of the file, replacing /path/to/directory with the actual path of the directory you want to add:
export PATH="$PATH:/Users/your-username-here/bin"
Save and Exit the Editor
In vim, press :wq to save and CTRL + X to exit.
Apply the Changes: Reload the shell configuration by running:
source ~/.zshrc
(Replace ~/.zshrc with ~/.bash_profile or ~/.bashrc if you’re using bash)
This will update your PATH variable with the new directory, allowing you to run executables located there directly from the terminal.
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