R for macOS Developers

This is the home for experimental binaries and documentation related to R for macOS. To learn more about the R software or download released versions, please visit www.r-project.org.

Starting with R 4.0.0 we are building R using standard Apple tools (Xcode) and GNU Fortran (see tools for downloads and details). As of R 4.3.0 we maintain two binary builds:

big-sur-x86_64 build supports legacy Intel Macs from macOS 11 (Big Sur) and higher
big-sur-arm64 build supports arm64 Macs (M1+) from macOS 11 (Big Sur) and higher

We are no longer building binaries for macOS versions before 11 (as they are no longer supported by Apple).

Nightly Build Installers

Build	OS	Download
R-devel 4.5.0 Under development (unstable) (2024/11/03, r87286)	big-sur-arm64	Installer: R-devel-arm64.pkg (94Mb, notarized) (for M1/M2 Macs only!)
R-devel 4.5.0 Under development (unstable) (2024/11/03, r87286)	big-sur-x86_64	Installer: R-devel-x86_64.pkg (97Mb, notarized) (for Intel Macs)
R-4.4-branch 4.4.2 Patched (2024/10/31, r87286)	big-sur-arm64	Installer: R-4.4-branch-arm64.pkg (94Mb, notarized) (for M1/M2 Macs only!)
R-4.4-branch 4.4.2 Patched (2024/10/31, r87286)	big-sur-x86_64	Installer: R-4.4-branch-x86_64.pkg (97Mb, notarized) (for Intel Macs)

Changes since R 4.3.0 Builds

R 4.3.0 CRAN builds are using Xcode 14.2/14.3, macOS 11.3 SDK and targetting macOS 11 (Big Sur) and GNU Fortran 12.2. This is now true for both x86_64 and arm64 builds. The corresponding package types (.Platform$pkgType) are "mac.binary.big-sur-x86_64" for Intel and "mac.binary.big-sur-arm64" for Apple silicon Macs.

Note that although M1 Macs can run the Intel build via Rosetta2 the native arm64 build is typically faster. All dependent static libraries are available in the bin directory. Please make sure you remove any modifications to build flags from your home (~/.R) since no custom compilers are used anymore. For more information about alternative OpenMP options (as in older version) see the openmp page of this site.

Index

Nightly builds of R for Mac OS X
Nightly builds of the R.app GUI
Tools for R development
Most current R manuals
Sources for tools and libraries
Legacy OS X support
Other binaries and tools (e.g. RSwitch, Graphviz, GTK+, ..)
Will R Work on Apple Silicon? (Information on the status of the port to Apple's new M1 architecture.)

Nightly builds for macOS

R framework

Build	OS	Date	Status	Download
R-4.4-branch 4.4.2 Patched (2024/10/31, r87286)	big-sur	Nov 4 22:49	arm64: OK (log) x86_64: OK (log)	arm64/R-4.4-branch.tar.gz (arm64, 82Mb) R-4.4-branch-arm64.tar.xz (arm64 framework, 69Mb) R-4.4-branch-arm64.pkg (94Mb, installer incl. GUI) x86_64/R-4.4-branch.tar.gz (x86_64, 84Mb) R-4.4-branch-x86_64.tar.xz (x86_64 framework, 72Mb) R-4.4-branch-x86_64.pkg (97Mb, installer incl. GUI)
R-devel 4.5.0 Under development (unstable) (2024/11/03, r87286)	big-sur	Mar 31 2023	arm64: OK (log) x86_64: OK (log) Package: OK	x86_64/R-devel.tar.gz (x86_64, 84Mb) R-devel.pkg (88Mb, installer incl. GUI)

The installer image (*.pkg) is packaged exactly the same way as the CRAN release of R (including the GUI) and it will update your R version (unless you use pkgutil - see instructions during installation and/or the "Multiple versions" section of the R Installation and Administration manual).

Alternatively, you can use the tar-ball (*.tar.gz) in the table above. The tar-ball must be unpacked in the root directory using:

$ tar fvxz R*.tar.gz -C /

NOTE: The tar-ball does not contain the GUI (see below for a separate download), it only contains files under /Library/Frameworks/R.framework so either run it via /Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Resources/bin/R or create a convenience symlink if desired. The installer includes Tcl/Tk package which will install in /opt/R/arm64 or /opt/R/x86_64. It is optional (only needed for the tcltk R package) and can be unchecked at installation time.

If you see any issues with the builds, please contact Simon Urbanek (the macOS maintainer of R) or report on the R-SIG-Mac mailing list.

For old OS X El Capitan nightly builds of R 3.x.x please see the old OS X builds page.

Recently, we have introduced "last-success" binaries which are always available (even if the nightly build fails) and intended mostly for CI/CD automated systems to install latest versions. The two locations are split by the build: high-sierra (x86_64) and big-sur (x86_64 and arm64). The xz tar balls contain only the R.framework directory of the final package, so must be unpacked into /Library/Frameworks.

Mac OS X GUI

Version	Build	Download
Mac OS X GUI rev. 8462 for R 4.4.x	big-sur-arm64-Debug.dmg	R-GUI-8462-4.4-big-sur-arm64-Debug.dmg
Mac OS X GUI rev. 8462 for R 4.4.x	big-sur-x86_64-Debug.dmg	R-GUI-8462-4.4-big-sur-x86_64-Debug.dmg
Mac OS X GUI rev. 8462 for R 4.4.x	big-sur-arm64-Release.dmg	R-GUI-8462-4.4-big-sur-arm64-Release.dmg
Mac OS X GUI rev. 8462 for R 4.4.x	big-sur-x86_64-Release.dmg	R-GUI-8462-4.4-big-sur-x86_64-Release.dmg
Mac OS X GUI rev. 8462 for R 4.5.x	big-sur-arm64-Debug.dmg	R-GUI-8462-4.5-big-sur-arm64-Debug.dmg
Mac OS X GUI rev. 8462 for R 4.5.x	big-sur-x86_64-Debug.dmg	R-GUI-8462-4.5-big-sur-x86_64-Debug.dmg
Mac OS X GUI rev. 8462 for R 4.5.x	big-sur-arm64-Release.dmg	R-GUI-8462-4.5-big-sur-arm64-Release.dmg
Mac OS X GUI rev. 8462 for R 4.5.x	big-sur-x86_64-Release.dmg	R-GUI-8462-4.5-big-sur-x86_64-Release.dmg

To install, open the image and drag the R icon to your Applications folder. Alternatively the GUI can be run directly off that image without copying if you just want to test it. Build configurations with "64" suffix are 64-bit builds, all others are 32-bit (except for Debug). If you want to use both, rename one of them or place them in different directories.

Tools

In order to compile R and R packages you will need Xcode Developer Tools and a Fortran compiler. For details and download, please read the Tools page. The R 4.3.0 and higer binaries are built using Xcode 14.3 and universal GNU Fortran 12.2 from here.

CRAN macOS master

This is now the master repository for released R package binaries. If you have issues with other mirrors, try using https://mac.r-project.org/ as your mirror since it is updated first.

Apple silicon (aka arm64, aarch64, M1)

To avoid clashes with the Intel builds, we use separate tools and libraries for the arm64 builds of R on macOS. This is only relevant if you want to compile R packages yourself. All tools and libraries live in /opt/R/arm64 from bin and tools respectively. It is assumed that /usr/local is unsafe as it may contain Intel binaries which don't mix, therefore R will not try to use /usr/local unless a manual flags override is issued. However, it also means that it is safe to use our arm64 binaries without affecting your legacy Intel ecosystem.

The big-sur build of R requires XQuartz 2.8.5 or higher to use the X11 components.

Legacy R

The current build supports only macOS 11 (Big Sur) or higher. Older versions of macOS are not supported in binary form, but R can be compiled from sources for such legacy OS versions. Last released version for Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) was R 2.10.1, last release for Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) was R 2.15.3, last release for Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) was R 3.6.3 and last release for macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) was R 4.2.3.

Other legacy binaries

The following binaries are not maintained or supported by R-core and are provided without any guarantee and for convenience only (Mac OS X 10.4.4 or higher required). They match the binaries used on the CRAN binary build machine at the time, but are no longer used.

GTK+ 2.24.17 framework - 64-bit build of GTK+ 2.24.17, necessary for binary R packages that use GTK+ version 2 (such as RGtk2+). R 3.0.0 and higher, Snow Leopard build
Download: GTK_2.24.17-X11.pkg (ca. 41MB)
GTK+ 2.18.5 framework - universal build of GTK+ 2.18.5, necessary for binary R packages that use GTK+ version 2 (such as RGtk2+). R 2.10.0 - 2.15.3, Leopard build
Download: GTK_2.18.5-X11.pkg (ca. 58MB)
RSwitch - a small GUI that allows you to switch between R versions quickly (if you have multiple versions of R framework installed).
Download: RSwitch-1.2.dmg (ca 67kB, universal, updated 2011/03/24 to support R 2.13.0 and up)
Sources: RSwitch-1.2.tar.gz (Xcode project and sources)

NOTE: Bob Rudis is maintaining a new version of a tool which has RSwitch functionality and more - see 3rd party RSwitch replacement (NOT related to R-Foundation or CRAN!).

Disclaimer

All software is provided "as is" and any express or implied warranties, including, but but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose are disclaimed. In no event shall the publisher, copyright owner or contributors be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental,special, exemplary, or consequential damages (including, but not limited to, procurement of substitute goods or services; loss of use, data or profits; or business interruption) however caused and on any theory of liability, whether in contract, strict liability, or tort (including negligence or otherwise) arising in any way out of the use of this software, even if advised of the possibility of such damage.