Resolving the Flutter Doctor: Command Not Found Error on macOS

Struggling with the "Flutter Doctor: Command Not Found" error on macOS? Learn how to resolve this issue and get your Flutter development environment up and running smoothly.
---
Disclaimer/Disclosure: Some of the content was synthetically produced using various Generative AI (artificial intelligence) tools; so, there may be inaccuracies or misleading information present in the video. Please consider this before relying on the content to make any decisions or take any actions etc. If you still have any concerns, please feel free to write them in a comment. Thank you.
---
Resolving the Flutter Doctor: Command Not Found Error on macOS

If you've recently installed Flutter on your macOS and encountered the error message "flutter doctor: command not found", you're not alone. This common issue can be frustrating, especially when you're eager to start developing your next mobile app. However, this problem is usually easy to resolve with a few simple steps.

Understanding the Error

The "flutter doctor: command not found" error typically means that your system cannot locate the Flutter executable. This issue usually arises because Flutter has not been properly added to your system's PATH environment variable.

Steps to Resolve the Issue

Here are steps you can follow to fix this issue:

Locate Your Flutter Installation Directory

First, ensure that Flutter is correctly installed on your macOS. Typically, it would be located under a directory like ~/development/flutter or any other directory you chose during the installation process.

Add Flutter to the PATH

In order to run Flutter commands from any terminal session, you need to add Flutter's bin directory to your PATH. This can be done by modifying your shell's configuration file.

For common shell configurations such as bash or zsh, you can do the following:

For Bash Users:

Open your .bash_profile or .bashrc file in a text editor. You can use nano for this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Add the following line to the file, replacing ~/development/flutter with the actual path to your Flutter installation:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Save and close the file, then apply the changes by running:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

For Zsh Users:

Open your .zshrc file in a text editor:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Add the following line to the file, replacing ~/development/flutter with the actual path to your Flutter installation:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Save and close the file, then apply the changes by running:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Verify the Installation

After updating your PATH, verify that the changes have taken effect by running the following command in your terminal:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

If Flutter has been added to your PATH correctly, this command should execute without the "command not found" error, and it will display useful information about your Flutter installation and any setup issues.

Conclusion

By following the above steps, you should be able to resolve the "flutter doctor: command not found" error on macOS. Properly configuring your PATH is crucial for ensuring that Flutter commands are recognized globally in your terminal. With this issue out of the way, you can now focus on creating amazing Flutter applications.