Install Octave

To install GNU Octave (Octave herein) on your computer is straightforward and completely free of charge. In this article, the step-by-step installation instructions are found below.

On Windows

  1. Visit Octave download website.
  2. Click “Windows” tab on the top.
  3. Download latest octave version, e.g., “octave-7.3.0-w64-installer.exe” and install it.

On Mac

In this article, I can show you two different ways to install Octave on MacOS, namely “easy way” (via pre-compiled dmg file) and “alternative way” (via compile from scratch). The advantage of the “easy way” is a straightforward approach to install Octave. However, the Octave version is not necessarily the latest one. Also, it can be not compatible with the latest MacOS version. In case, the easy way does not work, you can try with the hard way as the step by step approach is given below. It need a very basic knowledge of terminal app use, and you can install the latest version.

Easy Way

1. Visit this this website to download Octave-6.2.0.dmg and install. You can also watch YouTube video (see below) for step-by-step approach.

Install GNU Octave on Macbook Air, Macbook Pro, iMac, Mac Mini

Alternative Way

To install the latest version of Octave on your macs, you can compile Octave using homebrew. If you already installed xcode and/or homebrew, skip step 1 and/or step 2 below.

Step 1: Install Xcode

Before you install Octave, you need to install well-known compiler xcode first. To install xcode, you need to open Terminal App and type

>> xcode-select –install

Click Install in the popup window. Review the terms and conditions and click Agree if you do.

Step 2: Install Homebrew

Next step is to install software packaging management homebrew. To install homebrew, type

>> /usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"

Once installed, you need to add path by typing

>> echo "export Path=/usr/local/bin:$PATH" >> /Users/your user name/.zprofile
>> echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> /Users/ your user name/.zprofile
>> eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

Note that you need to use your user name for your mac in the place of “your user name” above.

You can check if homebrew is successfully installed by typing

>> brew -v

If you see the homebrew version in your terminal, it means it is installed successfully.

Step 3: Update and Upgrade Homebrew

Once homebrew is installed, make sure that homebrew is up-to-date by updating and upgrading. So, you need to type

>> brew update
>> brew upgrade

Step 4: Install Octave

To install Octave, type

>> brew install octave

Step 5: Run Octave

To run Octave, type

>> octave --gui

If successful, you should be able to see Octave main window.

In this article

Scroll to Top