Published: Jun 23, 2021
Updated: Mar 9, 2022
Table of Contents
I often find myself explaining how to do this. It’s time I get wise and write a generic doc on it.
We’ll assume you want to add a binary, named binary
on macOS and Linux, and binary.exe
on Windows, to your PATH
. (How original, I know).
Enjoy.
macOS and Linux CLI #
Note: ${HOME}
is also known as ~
Get familiar with macOS and Linux Environment Variables in Terminal
Open Terminal
Create directory
${HOME}/bin
by runningmkdir -p ${HOME}/bin
Save the
binary
to directory${HOME}/bin
Make the
binary
executable by runningchmod 755 ${HOME}/bin/binary
macOS specific step
- Open your shell config file in a text editor. If the file doesn’t exist, create it
Linux specific step
- Open file
${HOME}/.bashrc
in a text editor. If the file doesn’t exist, create it
- Open file
Add the below line to the shell config file, then save it
export PATH="${HOME}/bin:${PATH}"
Restart your Terminal
Verify the
binary
is on yourPATH
by runningcommand -v binary
Windows CLI #
Get familiar with Windows Environment Variables in Command Prompt
Open Command Prompt
Create folder
C:\bin
by runningmkdir C:\bin
Save the
binary.exe
to folderC:\bin
Edit the
PATH
for your accountsetx PATH "C:\bin;%PATH%"
Restart Command Prompt
Verify the
binary.exe
is on yourPATH
by runningwhere.exe binary.exe
Windows GUI #
Create folder
C:\bin
Save the
binary.exe
to folderC:\bin
Depending on your Windows version
- If you’re using Windows 8 or 10, press the Windows key, then search for and select System (Control Panel)
- If you’re using Windows 7, right click the Computer icon on the desktop and click Properties
Click Advanced system settings
Click Environment Variables
Under System Variables, find the
PATH
variable, select it, and click Edit. If there is noPATH
variable, click NewAdd
C:\bin
to the start of the variable value, followed by a;
. For example, if the value wasC:\Windows\System32
, change it toC:\bin;C:\Windows\System32
Click OK
Open Command Prompt
Verify the
binary.exe
is on yourPATH
by runningwhere.exe binary.exe