Install Terraform on macOS (Step-by-Step 2026)

Here is how to install Terraform on macOS in 2026. Tested and verified.

Method 1: Homebrew (Recommended)

brew tap hashicorp/tap
brew install hashicorp/tap/terraform

Method 2: Direct Download

# Download (check https://releases.hashicorp.com/terraform/ for latest)
curl -LO https://releases.hashicorp.com/terraform/1.9.0/terraform_1.9.0_darwin_arm64.zip
unzip terraform_1.9.0_darwin_arm64.zip
sudo mv terraform /usr/local/bin/
rm terraform_1.9.0_darwin_arm64.zip

Verify

terraform --version

Enable Shell Completion

terraform -install-autocomplete

Quick Start

mkdir ~/terraform-demo && cd ~/terraform-demo

cat > main.tf << 'EOF'
terraform {
  required_providers {
    local = {
      source = "hashicorp/local"
    }
  }
}

resource "local_file" "hello" {
  content  = "Hello, Terraform!"
  filename = "${path.module}/hello.txt"
}
EOF

terraform init
terraform plan
terraform apply -auto-approve
cat hello.txt
terraform destroy -auto-approve

Related Resources

• Terraform Cheat Sheet
• Install Terraform on Windows
• Terraform vs OpenTofu