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install-azure-cli-macos-preview.md

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title Install Azure CLI on macOS using Homebrew Cask or Tarball preview
description Install Azure CLI on macOS using Homebrew Cask or Tarball. Includes offline setup, upgrade, uninstall, and migration guidance.
ms.service azure-cli
ms.custom devx-track-azurecli
zone_pivot_group_filename azure/zone-pivot-groups.json
zone_pivot_groups cli-macos-installation-method
keywords Install azure cli, azure cli macos, macos cli, install azure cli macos

Install Azure CLI on macOS using Homebrew Cask or Tarball preview

Azure CLI is a cross-platform command-line tool for managing Azure resources interactively or through scripts.

On macOS, Azure CLI is transitioning to a new installation model that provides greater flexibility across environments. This model includes:

  • Homebrew Cask (recommended for most users)
  • Tarball (recommended for offline, restricted, or custom environments)

This experience is currently in preview and will become the standard installation approach in a future release.

Note

For the current stable installation guidance, see Install Azure CLI on macOS.

Why use Homebrew Cask?

  • Simplest install and upgrade experience
  • Automatically manages dependencies
  • Aligns with the future supported installation model

What is changing

Azure CLI installation on macOS is moving away from the Homebrew formula to a more maintainable and flexible model.

  • Current method: brew install azure-cli
  • New methods:
    • brew install --cask azure-cli
    • Tarball-based installation

During the transition period, both installation methods are supported. The Homebrew formula will be deprecated in a future release.

This change improves consistency across environments and provides better support for scenarios such as offline installation and controlled deployment environments.

Choose an installation method

Use the following guidance to select the installation method that best fits your scenario:

Scenario Recommended method
Most users Homebrew Cask
Offline or air-gapped systems Tarball
Custom install location required Tarball

::: zone pivot="cask"

Install Azure CLI using Homebrew Cask

Homebrew provides the simplest and most maintainable installation experience for Azure CLI on macOS. It handles installation, upgrades, and removal using standard package management workflows.

Prerequisites

  • macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel)
  • Homebrew installed

If Azure CLI is already installed using the Homebrew brew install azure-cli formula, uninstall it before proceeding to avoid conflicts:

brew uninstall azure-cli

Install Azure CLI

brew update && brew install --cask azure-cli

This installs Azure CLI using the Homebrew Cask, which is the preferred installation method going forward.

Verify installation

After installation, confirm Azure CLI is available:

az --version

Upgrade Azure CLI

To upgrade to the latest version:

brew upgrade --cask azure-cli

Uninstall Azure CLI

To remove Azure CLI:

brew uninstall --cask azure-cli

::: zone-end

::: zone pivot="tarball"

Install Azure CLI using a Tarball

Use this method if:

  • Homebrew isn't available
  • Internet access is restricted
  • You need full control over the installation location

This method is commonly used in enterprise, regulated, or air-gapped environments.

Prerequisites

  • macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel)
  • Python 3.13 installed using your preferred method (for example, python.org or pyenv)

Download the tarball

On a machine with internet access, you can automatically download the latest Azure CLI tarball for your architecture:

ARCH=$(uname -m)
VER=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/Azure/azure-cli/releases/latest | grep tag_name | cut -d '"' -f4 | sed 's/azure-cli-//')
curl -L -o az.tar.gz "https://github.com/Azure/azure-cli/releases/download/azure-cli-$VER/azure-cli-$VER-macos-$ARCH.tar.gz"

This script detects your architecture and downloads the latest Azure CLI tarball from the Azure CLI releases page.

  • arm64 indicates Apple Silicon
  • x86_64 indicates Intel

Selecting the correct architecture ensures compatibility and optimal performance.

Tip

For offline environments, run this command on a machine with internet access, then transfer the downloaded tarball to the target system.

Extract to installation directory

Choose a directory where Azure CLI should be installed:

  • User-level install (recommended):

    mkdir -p $HOME/lib/azure-cli
tar -xzf az.tar.gz -C $HOME/lib/azure-cli

  • System-level install:

    sudo mkdir -p /opt/azure-cli
sudo tar -xzf az.tar.gz -C /opt/azure-cli

Configure environment variables

Azure CLI requires access to a Python runtime. Configure your environment to point to Python and the Azure CLI binaries.

Add the following to your shell profile (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):

export AZ_PYTHON="/path_to_python"
export PATH="/target_directory_path/bin:$PATH"

Reload the shell configuration file you updated:


### Verify installation

```bash
az --version

Upgrade Azure CLI

To upgrade Azure CLI in an offline environment, download a newer Tarball and extract it over the existing installation:

sudo tar -xzf az.tar.gz -C /target_directory_path

Uninstall Azure CLI

Remove the installation directory:

sudo rm -rf /target_directory_path

Then remove the AZ_PYTHON and PATH entries from your shell profile.

::: zone-end

Troubleshooting

If you encounter a problem when installing or using the Azure CLI with either Homebrew Cask or the Tarball method, here are some common errors (many of which are specific to Homebrew). If you experience a problem not covered here, file an issue on GitHub.

Azure CLI not found

Ensure your PATH includes the installation directory:

echo $PATH

Completion isn't working

The Azure CLI Homebrew installation (whether via formula or cask) provides a completion file named az in Homebrew's managed completions directory. To enable completion, follow Homebrew's instructions.

For Zsh, add the following two lines to the bottom of your .zshrc file, then save and reload your Zsh profile.

autoload bashcompinit && bashcompinit
source $(brew --prefix)/etc/bash_completion.d/az

Unable to find Python or installed packages

There might be a minor version mismatch or other issue during homebrew installation. Azure CLI doesn't use a Python virtual environment, so it relies on finding the installed Python version. A possible fix is to install and relink the [email protected] dependency from Homebrew.

brew update && brew install [email protected] && brew upgrade [email protected]
brew link --overwrite [email protected]

Proxy blocks connection

You might be unable to get resources from Homebrew unless you configure it to use your proxy. Follow the Homebrew proxy configuration instructions.

Important

If you are behind a proxy, HTTP_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY must be set to connect to Azure services with the Azure CLI. If you don't use basic auth, you should export these variables in your .bashrc file. Always follow your business' security policies and the requirements of your system administrator.

To get the bottle resources from Homebrew, your proxy needs to allow HTTPS connections to the following addresses:

  • https://formulae.brew.sh
  • https://homebrew.bintray.com

Next Steps

Now that you installed the Azure CLI on macOS, take a short tour of its features and common commands.

[!div class="nextstepaction"] Get started with the Azure CLI