My MAC Setup

Last updated 15 / Apr / 2026

Introduction

This is the guide I use to set up a MAC from scratch for my work on programming, data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence projects with Python. The process is divided into two main stages: first the base software development tools are installed, then the specific tools for Python development.

1. Install BREW

Homebrew is the package manager for macOS. It allows you to install, update, and uninstall software from the terminal easily.

Open the Terminal and run the following commands:

xcode-select --install

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

The terminal will ask for your MAC password to complete the installation.

After the installation finishes, the installer displays a command that must be run to add brew to the PATH (so the terminal knows where the program is). This command is different on each MAC, so copy exactly what appears in your terminal and paste it to execute it.

2. Install iTerm2 with Oh My Zsh

iTerm2 is a terminal emulator for macOS with many improvements over the default Terminal. Oh My Zsh is a framework for managing Zsh configuration that adds themes, plugins, and autocompletion.

I use Ghostty Terminal, which is a modern alternative to iTerm2, but I always configure iTerm2 first to have it as a base with Zsh.

brew install --cask iterm2

Close the current terminal with (⌘ + Q), open iTerm2 and run:

chsh -s /bin/zsh

To make iTerm2 the default terminal, follow the instructions at: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/60210024/how-can-i-use-iterm-as-default-terminal-on-macos

Install Oh My Zsh to enhance the terminal experience with themes, plugins, and autocompletion:

Open a new terminal (iTerm2 should open) and install Oh My Zsh:

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

3. Install Python Development Tools

UV is a modern tool for managing Python versions, installing packages, and keeping them in isolated virtual environments per project.

brew update
brew install uv readline xz

Close the terminal with (⌘ + Q) and reopen it.

4. Install Python Versions

Install the Python version (or versions) that will be used in your projects. With UV you can install multiple versions without conflicts:

uv python install 3.12
uv python install 3.13

Close the terminal with ⌘ + Q, reopen it, and set the global default Python version (for example, Python 3.12):

uv python install --default 3.12
uv python update shell

5. Configure Git

Git is the standard version control system for software development.

Close the terminal with ⌘ + Q, open iTerm2 and run:

brew install git

Set the name and email that will appear in commits:

git config --global user.name "Your name"
git config --global user.email "myemail@emailhost.com"
git config --global color.ui auto

Run this command to avoid issues when installing pre-commit hooks in virtual environments:

git config --global --unset-all core.hooksPath

Base Applications

Base applications I use:

• Ghostty Terminal (modern terminal alternative):

  brew install --cask ghostty
  

• Visual Studio Code — code editor and Jupyter notebooks: Follow the instructions at https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/setup/mac

• Rectangle — to organize windows on the screen:

  brew install --cask rectangle
  

Free Up Disk Space

After several months of use, it is recommended to clean up disk space by running from the terminal:

• Homebrew

  brew autoremove && brew cleanup --prune=all
  

• UV

  uv cache clean
  

• Pre-commit

  pre-commit clean
  

• Docker

  docker system prune -a
  

If you use Hugging Face to download machine learning models:

• Hugging Face

  hf cache clear
  

If you use poetry to manage Python projects, it is recommended to migrate to UV. If you still use it, you can clean its cache with:

poetry cache clear --all ""