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grep for Mac

GNU grep, egrep and fgrep

Quick answer: grep is a command-line tool for macOS. Install it with brew install grep. It is distributed under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence. It has 1,755 Homebrew installs in the last 30 days.

What grep is

grep is a command-line tool for macOS: GNU grep, egrep and fgrep.

It is distributed as a Homebrew formula, which builds or pours a binary and puts it on your PATH. It is distributed under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence.

How to install grep

  1. Open Terminal (press ⌘ + Space and type “Terminal”).
  2. If Homebrew is not installed yet, run the installer below once.
  3. Run brew install grep.

Homebrew installer, if you need it:

Prefer a graphical installer? Download it from the official site. MacPicks never hosts or mirrors binaries — the Homebrew command always pulls from the vendor's own release.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I install grep on Mac?

Run brew install grep in Terminal. This requires Homebrew; if you do not have it, install it first with the command below.

Is grep open source?

Yes — Homebrew distributes it under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence.

Does grep run on Apple silicon?

Homebrew publishes this formula for macOS. If upstream does not ship an Apple silicon build, Rosetta 2 handles the Intel binary.

How popular is grep?

It was installed 1,755 times in the last 30 days according to Homebrew analytics, ranking #719 in this catalogue.

What version of grep is current?

The latest packaged version is 3.12.