> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.dothq.co/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.dothq.co/main/cloning-dot/macos.md).

# macOS

## First things first...

* Make sure you have at least 20 GB of space free on your hard drive.
* You'll need to be on a 64-bit operating system to clone and build Dot Browser.
  * If typing `uname -m` into a terminal returns `x86_64` you are on a 64-bit computer.
* The following software and tools are required for the build process:
  * Git ([git-scm.org](https://git-scm.org))
  * Mercurial ([mercurial-scm.org](https://www.mercurial-scm.org/))
  * Homebrew ([brew.sh](https://brew.sh))
  * python3 ([python.org](https://www.python.org/downloads/))
  * python2 ([python.org](https://python.org))
  * git-cinnabar ([github.com/glandium/git-cinnabar/#setup](https://github.com/glandium/git-cinnabar/#setup))

{% hint style="info" %}
Dot Browser is based on Firefox, which is why it is referenced a lot in the build process.
{% endhint %}

## Downloading the bootstrapper

We're now going to install the tool to clone and bootstrap Dot Browser.

```
curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dothq/browser-ff/master/python/mozboot/bin/bootstrap.py -o bootstrap.py
```

This will download the `bootstrap.py` Python script from GitHub.

Now we want to run the bootstrapper by typing the command below. The bootstrap will take around 10 minutes up to a couple hours.

```bash
python3 bootstrap.py
```

After the clone is complete the bootstrapper will ask you what version you want to build. This table will demonstrate the differences between an artifact build and a generic build.

|                                     | Artifact builds | Generic builds |
| ----------------------------------- | --------------- | -------------- |
| Time to build                       | \~10 seconds    | \~1 hour       |
| Can build on low-end computers      | ✅               | ❌              |
| Can build front-end (HTML, CSS, JS) | ✅               | ✅              |
| Can build C++ code                  | ❌               | ✅              |
| Can build Rust code                 | ❌               | ✅              |
| Modify build system                 | ❌               | ✅              |

## Building Dot Browser

It's time to build the browser! Start by entering the repo directory.

```bash
cd dot # or the name of the repo you chose in the bootstrapper
```

Now we can start building.

```
./mach build
```

If everything went smoothly with the build you should see the following text:

```jsx
1:03.56 Your build was successful!
To take your build for a test drive, run: |mach run|
```

## Running Dot Browser

You've made it! You have successfully built Dot Browser. Now it's time to take our build for a test drive. We can do that by running:

```
./mach run
```

If everything went according to plan, you should see Dot Browser appear before your eyes!

![It's magic! ✨](/files/-MP6L79Litc5_EDcMU75)

If you encounter any issues, [open an issue with the correct component on our GitHub repository](https://github.com/dothq/browser/issues/new/choose).


---

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