learn.fttgsolutions.com · Cheat Sheets
Install. Update. Clean.
Installation
| Install Xcode tools | xcode-select --install | Install the Xcode Command Line Tools — required before installing Homebrew. |
| Install Homebrew | /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)" | Download and run the official Homebrew installer. |
| Check version | brew --version | Display the currently installed version of Homebrew. |
| Help | brew help | Show general Homebrew help and a list of available commands. |
| Command help | brew help <command> | Show detailed help for a specific subcommand (e.g. brew help install). |
| Doctor | brew doctor | Check your system for potential Homebrew problems and suggest fixes. |
Install & Remove
| Install | brew install <formula> | Download and install a package (formula). |
| Uninstall | brew uninstall <formula> | Remove an installed package. |
| Reinstall | brew reinstall <formula> | Uninstall and re-install a package from scratch. |
| Info | brew info <formula> | Show details about a package — version, dependencies, install path, options. |
| List installed | brew list | List all currently installed formulae. |
| List versions | brew list --versions <formula> | Show all installed versions of a specific package. |
| Search | brew search <text> | Search available formulae and casks by name or keyword. |
| Search all | brew search | List every available formula and cask in all tapped repositories. |
Update & Upgrade
| Update | brew update | Fetch the latest version of Homebrew and all formula definitions. |
| Outdated | brew outdated | List all installed packages that have a newer version available. |
| Upgrade all | brew upgrade | Upgrade all installed packages to their latest versions. |
| Upgrade one | brew upgrade <formula> | Upgrade a specific package to its latest version. |
| Pin | brew pin <formula> | Lock a package at its current version — it will be skipped by brew upgrade. |
| Unpin | brew unpin <formula> | Remove the version lock, allowing the package to be upgraded again. |
Link & Switch
| Link | brew link <formula> | Symlink a formula's binaries into /usr/local so they are on your PATH. |
| Unlink | brew unlink <formula> | Remove symlinks for a formula without uninstalling it — useful when switching versions. |
| Switch version | brew switch <formula> <version> | Relink an already-installed older version of a package. |
Taps (Repositories)
| List taps | brew tap | Display all currently tapped third-party repositories. |
| Tap | brew tap <user/repo> | Add a GitHub-hosted tap (e.g. brew tap hashicorp/tap). |
| Tap with URL | brew tap <user/repo> <url> | Add a tap from a custom Git URL instead of GitHub. |
| Untap | brew untap <user/repo> | Remove a tapped repository and all its formulae. |
Casks (Mac Apps)
| Enable casks | brew tap homebrew/cask | Tap the official cask repository to enable GUI app installation. |
| Install cask | brew install --cask <cask> | Install a macOS GUI application (e.g. brew install --cask firefox). |
| Uninstall cask | brew uninstall --cask <cask> | Remove an installed macOS application. |
| Reinstall cask | brew reinstall --cask <cask> | Remove and re-install a GUI application. |
| List casks | brew list --cask | List all installed casks (GUI apps). |
| Search casks | brew search --casks <text> | Search only casks by name or keyword. |
Cleanup
| Cleanup all | brew cleanup | Remove old versions of all installed packages and clear the download cache. |
| Cleanup one | brew cleanup <formula> | Remove old versions of a specific package only. |
| Dry run | brew cleanup -n | Preview what would be removed by cleanup without actually deleting anything. |
| Remove cache | brew cleanup --prune=all | Delete all cached downloads regardless of age. |