[Updated] macOS Setup Guide

I recently switched to a new Mac, and I realized remembering all these things to set it up properly can be very challenging. So, I decided to create a guide to follow for the next time, I hope it will be handy for you as well.

You can find the most recent copy of the guide on my repo including all the mentioned files.

Step 1: General macOS Settings

Turn on Firewall

System Preferences > Security and Privacy > Firewall > Turn On Firewall

Turn on FileVault

System Preferences > Security and Privacy > FileVault > Turn On FileVault

Show hidden files in Finder

Open “Finder”
Press the Command + Shift + . (period) keys at the same time

Sort folders first in Finder

Open "Terminal"
Run defaults write com.apple.finder _FXSortFoldersFirst -bool true; killall Finder

Show Path in Finder

Open "Terminal"
Run defaults write com.apple.finder _FXShowPosixPathInTitle -bool true; killall Finder

Show user in Finder sidebar

Finder > Preferences > Sidebar > (Check) <user> on the sidebar

Set the new finder window show

Finder > Preferences > General > (Select) user folder from dropdown

Disable autocorrect spelling

System Preferences > Keyboard > Text > (Uncheck) Disable “Correct spelling automatically”

Enable fast keystrokes and key repeats

System Preferences > Keyboard
Set “Key Repeat” to “Fast”
Set Delay Until Repeat” to “Short”

Fix trackpad direction

System Preferences > Trackpad > Scroll & Zoom > Turn Off Natural Scrolling

Turn off the dictionary look up

System Preferences > Trackpad > Point & Click > Turn Off Look up & data detectors

Enable Key Repeat

Open "Terminal"
Run defaults write NSGlobalDomain ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool false

Step 2: Developer Environment Setup

Install Rosetta 2

Open "Terminal"
Run /usr/sbin/softwareupdate --install-rosetta --agree-to-license

Create the "Developer" folder

Open "Finder" (it should navigate to user folder automatically)
Create a new folder named "Developer"

Change the computer name

sudo scutil --set ComputerName "newname"
sudo scutil --set LocalHostName "newname"
sudo scutil --set HostName "newname"

Install Xcode command line tools

Open "Terminal"
Run xcode-select --install

Install Homebrew

Open "Terminal"
Run /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
Run brew update; brew upgrade; brew cleanup; brew doctor to make sure it is up-to-date and healthy

Apps to install using Homebrew

brew install node@18
brew install yarn
brew install go
brew install tree
brew install tmux
brew install cointop
brew install btop
brew install bat
brew install nb
brew install neovim
brew install midnight-commander
brew install --cask iterm2
brew install --cask visual-studio-code
brew install --cask github
brew install --cask docker
brew install --cask postman
brew install --cask burp-suite

Configure git

brew install git
git config --global user.name "<username>"
git config --global user.email "<email>"
git config --global color.ui auto

Generate an SSH Key

Run ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "[email protected]"

Step 3: iTerm2 Setup

Install the fonts in this repo
Open "iTerm2"
Preferences > Profiles > ...Other Actions > Import JSON Profiles
Select the JSON file in this repo
Select imported profile and navigate to Text sub-menu
Select mononoki Nerd Font - Regular for primary font
Select Overpass Nerd Font Mono - Bold for Non-ASCII font

Step 4: Oh-My-Zsh Setup

Run sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)" to install Oh-My-Zsh
Replace the .zshrc file with below;

export ZSH="$HOME/.oh-my-zsh"

ZSH_THEME="spaceship"

plugins=(zsh-autosuggestions transfer per-directory-history sudo z)

source $ZSH/oh-my-zsh.sh

export LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8

killport() {
    PID=$(lsof -ti ":$1")
    if [ ! -z "$PID" ]; then
        echo "PORT: $1"
        echo "PID:  $PID"
        kill -9 $PID
        echo "OK!"
    else
        echo "No Process Found running Port $1"
    fi
}

SPACESHIP_PROMPT_ADD_NEWLINE="true"
SPACESHIP_CHAR_SYMBOL="\uf0e7"
SPACESHIP_CHAR_SUFFIX=("  ")
SPACESHIP_CHAR_COLOR_SUCCESS="yellow"
SPACESHIP_PROMPT_DEFAULT_PREFIX="$USER"
SPACESHIP_PROMPT_FIRST_PREFIX_SHOW="true"
SPACESHIP_USER_SHOW="true"
SPACESHIP_TIME_SHOW="true"

alias zshconfig="code ~/.zshrc"
alias zshreload='source ~/.zshrc'
alias myip='curl http://ipecho.net/plain; echo'
alias dev="cd ~/developer"
alias brewup="brew update; brew upgrade; brew cleanup; brew doctor"
alias copyssh="pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub"
alias delds="find . -name '.DS_Store' -type f -print -delete"

Install zsh-autosuggestions by using git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions
Install spaceship theme by using npm install -g spaceship-zsh-theme

Step 5: tmux Configuration

Run git clone https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tpm ~/.tmux/plugins/tpm
Copy the .tmux.conf file in this repo
Run source-file ~/.tmux.conf to load
On tmux press [prefix] + ⇧ Shift + i to install plugins

Step 6: nvim Configuration

Run git clone https://github.com/NvChad/NvChad ~/.config/nvim --depth 1 && nvim
Open nvim
Type N to install example config
Press Space+t+h to open theme switcher, and set it to One Dark
Copy the content of the custom folder in this repo into $HOME/.config/nvim/lua/custom
Restart nvim

Step 7: Install VS Code Extensions

In case the "Settings Sync" doesn't work

code --install-extension alexkrechik.cucumberautocomplete
code --install-extension anseki.vscode-color
code --install-extension bradgashler.htmltagwrap
code --install-extension bradlc.vscode-tailwindcss
code --install-extension christian-kohler.path-intellisense
code --install-extension dbaeumer.vscode-eslint
code --install-extension dsznajder.es7-react-js-snippets
code --install-extension eamodio.gitlens
code --install-extension esbenp.prettier-vscode
code --install-extension formulahendry.auto-close-tag
code --install-extension formulahendry.auto-rename-tag
code --install-extension golang.go
code --install-extension GraphQL.vscode-graphql-syntax
code --install-extension heybourn.headwind
code --install-extension ms-azuretools.vscode-docker
code --install-extension ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh
code --install-extension ms-vscode.vscode-typescript-next
code --install-extension naumovs.color-highlight
code --install-extension oliversturm.fix-json
code --install-extension pranaygp.vscode-css-peek
code --install-extension Rubymaniac.vscode-paste-and-indent
code --install-extension shd101wyy.markdown-preview-enhanced
code --install-extension streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker
code --install-extension Tyriar.lorem-ipsum
code --install-extension Tyriar.sort-lines
code --install-extension vincaslt.highlight-matching-tag
code --install-extension vscode-icons-team.vscode-icons
code --install-extension zhuangtongfa.material-theme
code --install-extension Zignd.html-css-class-completion

Step 8: Install Essential Apps

Using HomeBrew

brew install --cask setapp
brew install --cask raycast
brew install --cask cron
brew install --cask brave-browser
brew install --cask slack
brew install --cask discord
brew install --cask zoom
brew install --cask spotify
brew install --cask protonvpn
brew install --cask adobe-creative-cloud

Using SetApp

IM+
BetterTouchTool
iStat Menus
PDF Squeezer
CleanShot X
CleanMyMac X
TablePlus
Archiver
Squash

Other Applications

Ledger Live