website/content/en/docs/tasks/tools/install-kubectl-macos.md

reviewers	title	content_type	weight
mikedanese	Install and Set Up kubectl on macOS	task	10

{{% heading "prerequisites" %}}

You must use a kubectl version that is within one minor version difference of your cluster. For example, a v{{< skew currentVersion >}} client can communicate with v{{< skew currentVersionAddMinor -1 >}}, v{{< skew currentVersionAddMinor 0 >}}, and v{{< skew currentVersionAddMinor 1 >}} control planes. Using the latest compatible version of kubectl helps avoid unforeseen issues.

Install kubectl on macOS

The following methods exist for installing kubectl on macOS:

• Install kubectl on macOS
  • Install kubectl binary with curl on macOS
  • Install with Homebrew on macOS
  • Install with Macports on macOS
• Verify kubectl configuration
• Optional kubectl configurations and plugins
  • Enable shell autocompletion
  • Install kubectl convert plugin

Install kubectl binary with curl on macOS

1. Download the latest release:

   {{< tabs name="download_binary_macos" >}} {{< tab name="Intel" codelang="bash" >}} curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/amd64/kubectl" {{< /tab >}} {{< tab name="Apple Silicon" codelang="bash" >}} curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/arm64/kubectl" {{< /tab >}} {{< /tabs >}}

   {{< note >}} To download a specific version, replace the $(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt) portion of the command with the specific version.

   For example, to download version {{< skew currentPatchVersion >}} on Intel macOS, type:

   curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/v{{< skew currentPatchVersion >}}/bin/darwin/amd64/kubectl"
   

   And for macOS on Apple Silicon, type:

   curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/v{{< skew currentPatchVersion >}}/bin/darwin/arm64/kubectl"
   

   {{< /note >}}

2. Validate the binary (optional)

   Download the kubectl checksum file:

   {{< tabs name="download_checksum_macos" >}} {{< tab name="Intel" codelang="bash" >}} curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/amd64/kubectl.sha256" {{< /tab >}} {{< tab name="Apple Silicon" codelang="bash" >}} curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/arm64/kubectl.sha256" {{< /tab >}} {{< /tabs >}}

   Validate the kubectl binary against the checksum file:

   echo "$(cat kubectl.sha256)  kubectl" | shasum -a 256 --check
   

   If valid, the output is:

   kubectl: OK
   

   If the check fails, shasum exits with nonzero status and prints output similar to:

   kubectl: FAILED
   shasum: WARNING: 1 computed checksum did NOT match
   

   {{< note >}} Download the same version of the binary and checksum. {{< /note >}}

3. Make the kubectl binary executable.

   chmod +x ./kubectl
   

4. Move the kubectl binary to a file location on your system PATH.

   sudo mv ./kubectl /usr/local/bin/kubectl
   sudo chown root: /usr/local/bin/kubectl
   

   {{< note >}} Make sure /usr/local/bin is in your PATH environment variable. {{< /note >}}

5. Test to ensure the version you installed is up-to-date:

   kubectl version --client
   

   Or use this for detailed view of version:

   kubectl version --client --output=yaml
   

6. After installing and validating kubectl, delete the checksum file:

   rm kubectl.sha256
   

Install with Homebrew on macOS

If you are on macOS and using Homebrew package manager, you can install kubectl with Homebrew.

1. Run the installation command:

   brew install kubectl
   

   or

   brew install kubernetes-cli
   

2. Test to ensure the version you installed is up-to-date:

   kubectl version --client
   

Install with Macports on macOS

If you are on macOS and using Macports package manager, you can install kubectl with Macports.

1. Run the installation command:

   sudo port selfupdate
   sudo port install kubectl
   

2. Test to ensure the version you installed is up-to-date:

   kubectl version --client
   

Verify kubectl configuration

{{< include "included/verify-kubectl.md" >}}

Optional kubectl configurations and plugins

Enable shell autocompletion

kubectl provides autocompletion support for Bash, Zsh, Fish, and PowerShell which can save you a lot of typing.

Below are the procedures to set up autocompletion for Bash, Fish, and Zsh.

{{< tabs name="kubectl_autocompletion" >}} {{< tab name="Bash" include="included/optional-kubectl-configs-bash-mac.md" />}} {{< tab name="Fish" include="included/optional-kubectl-configs-fish.md" />}} {{< tab name="Zsh" include="included/optional-kubectl-configs-zsh.md" />}} {{< /tabs >}}

Install kubectl convert plugin

{{< include "included/kubectl-convert-overview.md" >}}

1. Download the latest release with the command:

   {{< tabs name="download_convert_binary_macos" >}} {{< tab name="Intel" codelang="bash" >}} curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/amd64/kubectl-convert" {{< /tab >}} {{< tab name="Apple Silicon" codelang="bash" >}} curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/arm64/kubectl-convert" {{< /tab >}} {{< /tabs >}}

2. Validate the binary (optional)

   Download the kubectl-convert checksum file:

   {{< tabs name="download_convert_checksum_macos" >}} {{< tab name="Intel" codelang="bash" >}} curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/amd64/kubectl-convert.sha256" {{< /tab >}} {{< tab name="Apple Silicon" codelang="bash" >}} curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/darwin/arm64/kubectl-convert.sha256" {{< /tab >}} {{< /tabs >}}

   Validate the kubectl-convert binary against the checksum file:

   echo "$(cat kubectl-convert.sha256)  kubectl-convert" | shasum -a 256 --check
   

   If valid, the output is:

   kubectl-convert: OK
   

   If the check fails, shasum exits with nonzero status and prints output similar to:

   kubectl-convert: FAILED
   shasum: WARNING: 1 computed checksum did NOT match
   

   {{< note >}} Download the same version of the binary and checksum. {{< /note >}}

3. Make kubectl-convert binary executable

   chmod +x ./kubectl-convert
   

4. Move the kubectl-convert binary to a file location on your system PATH.

   sudo mv ./kubectl-convert /usr/local/bin/kubectl-convert
   sudo chown root: /usr/local/bin/kubectl-convert
   

   {{< note >}} Make sure /usr/local/bin is in your PATH environment variable. {{< /note >}}

5. Verify plugin is successfully installed

   kubectl convert --help
   

   If you do not see an error, it means the plugin is successfully installed.

6. After installing the plugin, clean up the installation files:

   rm kubectl-convert kubectl-convert.sha256
   

Uninstall kubectl on macOS

Depending on how you installed kubectl, use one of the following methods.

Uninstall kubectl using the command-line

1. Locate the kubectl binary on your system:

   which kubectl
   

2. Remove the kubectl binary:

   sudo rm <path>
   

   Replace <path> with the path to the kubectl binary from the previous step. For example, sudo rm /usr/local/bin/kubectl.

Uninstall kubectl using homebrew

If you installed kubectl using Homebrew, run the following command:

brew remove kubectl

{{% heading "whatsnext" %}}

{{< include "included/kubectl-whats-next.md" >}}