How to Install Flutter on Windows, macOS, and Linux – A Comprehensive Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction:

Flutter is an open-source UI software development toolkit created by Google, designed to build natively compiled applications for mobile, web, and desktop platforms from a single codebase. With its extensive range of widgets and exceptional performance, Flutter has become increasingly popular among developers. Whether you are on Windows, macOS, or Linux, this comprehensive guide will walk you through the step-by-step process of installing Flutter on your preferred operating system.

Prerequisites:

Before diving into the installation process, ensure that you have the following prerequisites in place:

1. System Requirements:
   • Windows: Windows 7 or newer (64-bit)
   • macOS: macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or newer
   • Linux: Ubuntu 16.04 LTS or newer, Debian 9 or newer, Fedora 28 or newer, or any other compatible Linux distribution (64-bit)
2. Disk Space: Flutter requires approximately 400 MB of free disk space.
3. Git: Make sure you have Git installed on your system. You can download it from https://git-scm.com/downloads.
4. Command-Line Tools: For macOS and Linux, ensure that you have the appropriate command-line tools installed. For Windows, the Command Prompt or PowerShell is sufficient.

Step 1: Download Flutter:

To get started, you need to download the Flutter SDK. Follow these steps:

1. Open your preferred web browser and visit the official Flutter website: https://flutter.dev/.
2. Click on the “Get Started” button, and then click on “Install” from the top navigation menu.
3. Scroll down to find the section that corresponds to your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux) and click on the respective download link.

Step 2: Extract the Archive:

After downloading the Flutter SDK, the next step is to extract it to a suitable location on your computer. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Locate the downloaded Flutter archive (zip or tar.gz) in your system’s default download location or the location you specified during the download process.
2. For Windows:
   • Right-click on the archive file and select “Extract All…”
   • Choose the destination path where you want to extract the Flutter SDK files.
   • Click “Extract” to complete the extraction process.
3. For macOS and Linux:
   • Open a terminal window and navigate to the directory where the archive is located.
   • Use the following command to extract the files:

tar xf <flutter-archive-filename> -C <destination-folder>

Replace <flutter-archive-filename> with the actual name of the downloaded archive file and <destination-folder> with the desired location path.

Step 3: Set Up Environment Variables:

To use Flutter commands globally in the terminal or command prompt, you need to set up environment variables. Follow these instructions:

C:\flutter\bin

1. For Windows:
   • Search for “environment variables” in the Windows search bar and select “Edit the system environment variables.”
   • Click the “Environment Variables” button at the bottom of the window.
   • In the “System Variables” section, locate the “Path” variable and click “Edit.”
   • Click “New” and add the path to the “bin” directory inside the extracted Flutter SDK folder. The path should look something like this:

• Click “OK” to save the changes.

For macOS and Linux:

• Open the terminal and run the following command to open the .bashrc or .bash_profile file (depending on your setup):

nano ~/.bashrc

or

nano ~/.bash_profile

Add the following line at the end of the file:

export PATH="$PATH:<path-to-flutter-sdk>/bin"

1. • Press Ctrl + X, then Y to save the changes, and press Enter to exit.
   Note: Don’t forget to replace <path-to-flutter-sdk> with the actual path to the extracted Flutter SDK directory.

Step 4: Verify the Installation:

To ensure that Flutter is installed correctly and all environment variables are set, open a new terminal or command prompt window and run the following command:

flutter doctor

This command will check your Flutter installation and provide a detailed report with any issues that may need to be addressed.

Conclusion:

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Flutter on your Windows, macOS, or Linux operating system. Now you are all set to begin building cross-platform mobile, web, and desktop applications using Flutter’s powerful and versatile framework. Remember to keep your Flutter SDK updated regularly to take advantage of the latest features and improvements.

Happy coding!