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When trying to run some commands in the Terminal window on a Mac, you might occasionally get the ‘Command Not Found Error’ in mac Terminal. When using the command line on a Mac, command not found errors are frequent. It indicates that an error message was returned because the command you typed was not deemed to be a valid command.
The command may not be installed on the system, incorrect syntax, or incorrect spelling are just a few causes of this error. The good news is that there are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and fix command not found errors.
Fix: ‘Command Not Found Error’ in mac Terminal
Check the Syntax When Zsh Command Not found
You should first examine the syntax of the command when using Mac’s Terminal and getting the “Zsh: command not found” message. Copying the original text into the Terminal is preferable to manually typing it. Additionally, it will be helpful to compare your command with other examples that use the same command.
Set $Path Environment to Fix Zsh Command Not Found
The second solution is to confirm that the “$PATH” environment variable is set up correctly in order to fix the Zsh: command not found error. The “Zsh: command not found error” message appears even after you’ve installed the package, which means something is wrong. It suggests that setting up a PATH variable for your command package is necessary.
In a macOS update or clean install, the majority of packages set the path variable automatically. You might occasionally need to manually configure path variables in Linux or macOS when performing a custom installation.
Set the Zsh Command Path in the .zshrc File
- Open the macOS terminal
- Verify that you are using the Zsh Shell; if not, type zsh and press the Enter key to check.
- Type nano /.zshrc on the window.
- Add your $PATH variable information now
- To save the file, hit Control + X, Y, and enter to close the Nano editor.
- To commit changes, execute command source /.zshrc now.
Reinstall the macOS to Fix the Zsh Command Not Found
If you were tinkering around in the macOS system and accidentally deleted certain system files or folders. you might have unintentionally deleted the files necessary for Terminal commands. If that happens, you ought to restore deleted files on a Mac.
You can return to previous settings and resolve the Zsh command not found by reinstalling macOS without formatting the drive. Although reinstalling the operating system shouldn’t cause data loss, it is still advisable to first make a backup of the important files. Try to recover files after reinstalling macOS if you can’t find your crucial data.
Ensure the Package of the Zsh Command Is Installed
Often when you try to run a command, the required package is not installed. Do you still need to verify that the necessary package is installed if your command is valid. No, is the answer. The Zsh command cannot be found, make sure you installed the command’s package on your Mac.
Why you see ‘Command Not Found Error’ in mac Terminal
The four most common reasons why you may see the “command not found” message in the Mac command line are as follows:
- The command syntax was entered incorrectly
- The command you are attempting to run is not installed
- The command was deleted, or, worse, the system directory was deleted or modified
- The users $PATH is incomplete, or $PATH has been erroneously set, reset, or cleared – this
- The most common reason to see a ‘command not found’ message
Fortunately, you can fix every one of these problems and restore the common to normal operation. If you simply entered the syntax incorrectly, fixing it is as simple as entering it correctly! Beyond that, we’ll start with the most frequent cause, which is that the user’s $PATH was incorrectly set or reset in some other way.
FAQ
How do I reset my Mac Terminal?
On the Mac’s keyboard, you can instead press control + option + command + R. The Terminal screen will be deleted along with everything else from your Mac if you choose the hard reset option. When finished, a black screen will be visible.
Why is command not working on Mac?
Ensure that the app is running at the most recent version. Depending on your Mac model, whether you’re using a Magic Keyboard, and how an option in the Keyboard settings is configured, you might also need to press and hold the Fn key or the Globe key on the keyboard to activate the keyboard shortcut.
Why is my Mac Terminal saying command not found?
When one of the following occurs, the Mac command not found error may appear: The command was entered incorrectly. On your Mac, the command is not installed. The system directory was altered or deleted, or the command was mistakenly deleted.