Make a file executable in Terminal on Mac (2024)

FAQs

How to execute a file in Terminal Mac? ›

In the Terminal app on your Mac, enter the complete pathname of the tool's executable file, followed by any needed arguments, then press Return.

Using the chmod command with sudo

Executing the chmod command with sudo allows you to modify the permissions of files or directories that you do not have access to as the current user. For example, you can use the sudo chmod +x command on a system file to give permission to all users to execute it.

In the Terminal app on your Mac, invoke a command-line editor by typing the name of the editor, followed by a space and then the name of the file you want to open. If you want to create a new file, type the editor name, followed by a space and the pathname of the file.

To make a file executable, you typically set the “execute” bit for the desired user categories. This is done using the chmod command in the terminal.

The `chmod 777` command is used in Unix-based systems (such as Linux or macOS) to change the permissions of a file or directory. The `chmod` command stands for “change mode” and the `777` argument specifies the permissions to be set.

When the "Startup Manager" window appears, release the "Option" button. This screen shows you which drives you can use to start your computer. Select that "Boot Camp" icon by clicking on it and pressing the "Return" key to open the Windows operating system on your Mac device. Double-click on the EXE file to open it.

Go to File > Save As. Select All Files from the "Save as type" menu. Name the file "filename.exe" and click Save.

How to chmod on Mac? ›

To run commands in the Mac Terminal, or execute programs on the command line (phrases that mean the same thing), you'll type commands at the Terminal prompt and then press the Enter key (also known as Return). Commands follow a specific syntax, typically command [options] [arguments] .

You can create a text file with the cat command by typing cat > filename.

The easiest way to run an EXE file on Mac is to install Windows. If your Mac has an Apple silicon processor, you'll need to install Windows with Parallels. For Macs with Intel, use Boot Camp. You can also use Wine (an API compatibility layer) to run Windows software on your Mac.

$ chmod 755 file.txt. Will give: Read, write, and execute permissions to the owner of the file; which is the user account that created the file or has been assigned ownership of the file.