How to download and install Sublime Text on Mac
Sublime Text is a fast, light code editor, and Sublime HQ gives it out on its website as one .zip for every Mac. Here is how to install it, add packages and set up the subl command.
Sublime Text
- macOS 10.13 or later
- One file for Apple Silicon and Intel
- Free to evaluate, license $99
Or the installer straight from the developer’s server:
The links go to the developer’s website (sublimetext.com, download.sublimetext.com). MacWashing is not affiliated with the developer and keeps no installers.
Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities) and run:
brew install --cask sublime-textHomebrew downloads the app from the developer’s server, checks the file and puts the app in Applications.
No Homebrew yet? How to install Homebrew: one command from brew.sh.
Before you download
Sublime Text comes as one .zip that works on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, so there is no build to choose. It needs macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later.
Sublime Text can be downloaded and evaluated for free, with no enforced time limit. For continued use, Sublime HQ asks you to buy a license. Download it only from sublimetext.com.
How to install Sublime Text
- Open the downloaded
.zipin your Downloads folder: Finder unpacks Sublime Text next to it. - Drag Sublime Text to the Applications folder.
- Open it from Applications and click Open when macOS asks about an app downloaded from the internet.
- To keep the editor at hand, right-click its icon in the Dock and choose Options › Keep in Dock.
What to set up after the first launch
- License. If you bought one, choose Help › Enter License and paste the key. One personal license covers all your computers.
- Packages. Press Command-Shift-P, type Install Package Control and press Return. After that, Package Control: Install Package in the same list adds plugins and themes.
- The `subl` command. Sublime Text includes a command-line tool that opens files and folders from Terminal. To use it, add its folder to your PATH, as shown below.
- The archive. Once Sublime Text runs, move the
.zipfrom Downloads to the Trash.
For zsh, the default shell on macOS, Sublime Text’s documentation gives this command. Run it, then open a new Terminal window:
echo 'export PATH="/Applications/Sublime Text.app/Contents/SharedSupport/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zprofileIf Sublime Text won’t install or open
- «Sublime Text is damaged and can’t be opened». The download was incomplete. Delete the file and download it again from Sublime Text’s website.
- Sublime Text doesn’t start on an older Mac. Check your macOS version in About This Mac: Sublime Text needs macOS 10.13 or later.
- It broke after a package or an update. Remove Sublime Text with its settings and packages and install it again: see how to uninstall Sublime Text on Mac.
Alternatives to Sublime Text
Keep your Mac tidy
Developer tools keep caches that grow over time. System Junk in MacWashing finds the caches apps and developer tools build up, and the Uninstaller removes Sublime Text with its files if you switch editors.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Is Sublime Text free?
You can download and evaluate it for free, with no enforced time limit, but a license is required for continued use. A personal license is a one-time $99 purchase with three years of updates. Business licenses are a yearly subscription.
Is Sublime Text in the Mac App Store?
No. Sublime HQ publishes Sublime Text only on its own website, so download it from sublimetext.com or install it with Homebrew.
Does one license work on all my Macs?
Yes. A personal license key works on all your computers and operating systems.