How to add environment variable in MacOS?

While programmers work on different Programming Languages, they use to declare Variables to work on any certain piece of code. The Variables in general terms are used to store some values that can be again accessed in the future. There are some Operating System Variables present that are known as Environmental Variables.

In different Operating Systems, the Declaration of Environmental Variables can be done. And we can add environmental variables in MacOS as well. If you Define Environmental Variables on MacOS, you can access them by any user at any point in time. However, to Access Environmental Variables on a Mac, you have to go to the Mac Terminal always.

In this article, we will discuss the Methods & Types to Add Environmental Variables on Mac Terminal without having any kind of issues.

If you want to know more about Environmental Variables, check the article What Are Environmental Variables In Development?

How to Add Environment Variables on Mac?

To Configure Mac Environmental Variables, you have to follow either two ways. In one case, you can Define Temporary Environmental Variables, otherwise the Permanent Environmental Variables. We will start with making Temporary Mac Environmental Variables.

Method 1: Set Environment Variables on Mac Temporarily

Open the Mac Terminal and execute the following command. It will simply add the environmental variable to the Mac as temporary.

Command: <Variable Name> = <Value>

Method 2: Add Environment Variables on Mac Permanently

On the Terminal, the following Mac Command will be used. Here, the temporary environmental variable will be shared with the Bash Profile. That makes it a permanent one.

Command: echo “export <Variable Name> = <Value>” >> ~/.<Bash Profile Name>

As we can see from the above discussion, to add environment variables on Mac is not a challenging task. You have to follow certain commands to achieve the designated target. If you add environmental variables on Mac as Temporary, they will be deleted once the Mac Terminal is closed.

Frequently Asked Questions to Add Environment Variables on Mac

How can I Environmental Variables on Mac?

To add Environmental Variables on Mac as a permanent one, a certain command should be used. Here, we need to use the command echo “export <Variable Name> = <Value>” >> ~/.<Bash Profile Name>. Here, the Environmental Variable is going to be added to the Bash Value making it permanent.

How can I list all Mac Environmental Variables?

To list all the Mac Environmental Variables on the terminal, the command “printenv” will be used. It will list down every Environmental variable on Mac. However, if there are no Environmental Variables present, it will show the black space as the output.

Which Environmental Variables are most fragile?

The Environmental Variables that are set as Temporary are the most fragile. After adding the Environmental Variables as temporary you can use them on the same Mac Terminal. If you close Mac Terminal or use a new one, they will not work there. Whereas, the Permanent Environmental Variables will work on every case.