Install Octave under MacOS - Here's how
Installing Octave is quite tricky on MacOS. We will help you in this practical tip.
Install Octave on MacOS
The easiest way to install Octave under MacOS is with the so-called "Forge Packets". This includes both the command line (GNU) and the version with a graphical user interface (GUI).
- Download the latest version of Octave Forge from the developer's website.
- After downloading, open the .dmg file with a double click. The file is then "mounted" and should appear in your Finder or on the desktop.
- Open the mounted drive in the Finder.
- Right click on the "Octave-XXX-X.mpkg" file and select the "Open" item.
- In the next window, click on "Open".
- Now the installation program starts. Simply follow the instructions of the installer here.
- After you have successfully completed the installation program, Octave GNU and Octave GUI are installed.
- If you only find one of the two versions (GNU or GUI) in the launchpad, open your program folder in the Finder. You can start both Octave versions here.
Use Octave on MacOS
- After the successful installation you can start Octave GNU or Octave GUI via the launchpad or your program folder.
- You can perform simple arithmetic tasks to check the functionality. For example, entering "5.2 + 7/2" should produce "ans = 8.7". Note that Octave does not recognize commas in numbers. Use a point here.
- In Octave, many arithmetic steps can also be called up with one function. For example, you can display the natural logarithm by entering "ln (5)".
- The easiest way to get an overview of all functions is to use the GNU Octave documentation.
Tip: You can find more MacOS practical tips in our Mac section.