> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/freerdp/freerdp/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Building on macOS

> Build FreeRDP from source on macOS using Homebrew for dependencies and CMake with Ninja.

Starting with macOS El Capitan, Apple removed the system OpenSSL headers. You must install OpenSSL separately — Homebrew is the recommended approach.

<Note>
  More documentation may be found at the [FreeRDP Compilation wiki](https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP/wiki/Compilation).
</Note>

## Prerequisites

Install [Homebrew](https://brew.sh), then install the required dependencies:

```bash theme={null}
brew install \
  cmake ninja pkg-config \
  openssl \
  krb5 \
  cjson \
  sdl2 sdl2_ttf \
  ffmpeg \
  libusb
```

## OpenSSL PKG\_CONFIG\_PATH

Because Homebrew installs OpenSSL in a non-default location, you must set `PKG_CONFIG_PATH` before running CMake:

```bash theme={null}
export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=$(brew --prefix)/opt/openssl/lib/pkgconfig
```

Add this line to your shell profile (`~/.zshrc` or `~/.bash_profile`) to make it permanent.

## Build

<Steps>
  <Step title="Clone the repository">
    ```bash theme={null}
    git clone https://github.com/FreeRDP/FreeRDP.git /tmp/freerdp/src
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set PKG_CONFIG_PATH for OpenSSL">
    ```bash theme={null}
    export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=$(brew --prefix)/opt/openssl/lib/pkgconfig
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure with CMake">
    ```bash theme={null}
    cmake -GNinja \
      -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
      -DWITH_VERBOSE_WINPR_ASSERT=OFF \
      -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/tmp/freerdp/install \
      -B /tmp/freerdp/build \
      -S /tmp/freerdp/src
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Compile and install">
    ```bash theme={null}
    cmake --build /tmp/freerdp/build --target install
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## CI preload configuration

The repository ships a macOS preload file at `ci/cmake-preloads/config-macosx.txt`. The key settings it applies are:

```cmake theme={null}
set(WITH_CUPS ON CACHE BOOL "CUPS printing")
set(WITH_X11 ON CACHE BOOL "Enable X11")
set(WITH_SERVER ON CACHE BOOL "build with server")
set(WITH_KRB5 OFF CACHE BOOL "Kerberos support")
set(WITH_FFMPEG OFF CACHE BOOL "ci default")
set(WITH_SWSCALE OFF CACHE BOOL "ci default")
```

Apply it with:

```bash theme={null}
cmake -C /tmp/freerdp/src/ci/cmake-preloads/config-macosx.txt \
  -GNinja \
  -B /tmp/freerdp/build \
  -S /tmp/freerdp/src

cmake --build /tmp/freerdp/build
```

## Notable macOS flags

| Flag                   | Description                                                          |
| ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `-DWITH_CUPS=ON`       | Enable CUPS printing support.                                        |
| `-DWITH_X11=ON`        | Build the X11 client (requires XQuartz).                             |
| `-DWITH_KRB5=OFF`      | Disable Kerberos (often not available on macOS without extra setup). |
| `-DCHANNEL_URBDRC=OFF` | Disable USB redirection (no libusb in default macOS CI).             |
| `-DWITH_FUSE=OFF`      | Disable FUSE clipboard (macFUSE required if enabled).                |

<Tip>
  Use `ccmake /tmp/freerdp/build` to browse and modify all CMake cache variables interactively.
</Tip>