Binary versions of Gnuplot for macOS

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Recommended versions (just download and install)

Binary versions of Gnuplot for macOS (includes png, JPEG, pdf, wxt, and many other terminals).

One-step installation for ARM-based Macs: Download Gnuplot 6.0.2 and install. No additional libraries required.


One-step installation for Intel-based Macs: Download Gnuplot 6.0.2 and install. No additional libraries required.


Alternative versions with AquaTerm included

Choose this version if you prefer to use the AquaTerm terminal.

Installation for ARM-based Macs: Download AquaTerm and install. Download Gnuplot 6.0.2 with AquaTerm and install. No additional libraries required.
Note: This version of AquaTerm contains several fixes not available in the official 1.1.1 release.


Installation for Intel-based Macs: Download AquaTerm and install. Download Gnuplot 6.0.2 with AquaTerm and install. No additional libraries required.
Note: This version of AquaTerm contains several fixes not available in the official 1.1.1 release.



Frequently asked questions

  1. When installing, I receive a malware warning.
    Please see these detailed instructions.
  2. Gnuplot prints a warning "qt.qpa.fonts: Populating font family aliases took ... ms. Replace uses of missing font family "Sans" with one that exists to avoid this cost."
    Create a file ".gnuplot" in your home folder and add the line 
    set term qt font "Arial"

    Then restart gnuplot.

  3. Gnuplot prints a message that looks like: "2025-03-21 10:17:36.451 gnuplot_qt[19585:6148833] +[IMKClient subclass]: chose IMKClient_Modern"
    This is a log message of the operating system that has been reported for numerous other packages. It can only be fixed by Apple, hopefully in a future version of macOS.
  4. I receive an error message "dyld: Library not loaded: /Library/Frameworks/AquaTerm.framework/Versions/A/AquaTerm"
    You are using a version of Gnuplot compiled with AquaTerm support; please make sure you have installed the AquaTerm package as well (see orange box near top of this page).
  5. I receive an error message "dyld: Library not loaded: /opt/X11/lib/libfontconfig.1.dylib"
    You are using a version of Gnuplot relying on the X terminal. Please make sure you have installed the most recent version of X11/XQuartz.
  6. When using "set terminal png", I receive an error message that the Arial font is missing.
    On some versions of OS X, such as Catalina, the "Arial" font has been moved. To fix this, issue the following command before starting gnuplot: 
    export GDFONTPATH=/Library/Fonts:/Library/Fonts/Microsoft:/System/Library/Fonts:/System/Library/Fonts/Supplemental
  7. I encounter a problem not addressed here.
    Please contact Erik Luijten.



Details (no need to read unless you experience issues and/or are curious)

  • The version for ARM processors was compiled on an ARM-based Mac running macOS Sequoia 15.2 but was also confirmed to work on ARM-based Macs running older macOS versions, including Big Sur (11.2.3) and Sonoma (14.2.1).
  • The version for Intel processors was compiled on an Intel-based Mac running macOS Catalina 10.15.7 but was also confirmed to work on Intel-based Macs running newer macOS versions, including Big Sur (11.7.8), Monterey, Ventura, and Sequioa (15.1.1, 15.2).
  • All versions provided here include the GNU Readline library.
  • AquaTerm is a universal (Intel + ARM) binary that works on macOS 10.15.7 and newer. Even though it will appear as version 1.1.1, it was compiled from the git repository and contains several important patches compared to the official release.
  • Full list of current versions



Older versions

Versions that do not require XQuartz

Older versions that require XQuartz (not recommended, unless you prefer XQuartz or are running a very old OS)

Please note that you MUST install X11/XQuartz to use these versions. Do not forget to reboot your computer after the installation, or the X11 terminal within Gnuplot will not work. Moreover, these versions do not feature the cairo/wxt terminals. Versions 5.4.1 and 5.4.0 were compiled on OS X 10.15.6 (Catalina) and the versions up to 5.2.8 were compiled on OS X 10.11.6 (El Capitan). All these versions were confirmed to work also on macOS 10.13 (High Sierra), 10.14 (Mojave), and 10.15 (Catalina).

  • 5.4.1 (December 15, 2020)
  • 5.4.0 (September 23, 2020)
  • 5.2.8 (December 2, 2019)
  • 5.2.7 (May 31, 2019)
  • 5.2.6 (January 1, 2019)
  • 5.2.5 (October 7, 2018)
  • 5.2.4 (does not include PNG, JPEG, and GIF terminals)
  • 5.2.3 (does not include PNG, JPEG, and GIF terminals)
  • 5.2.2 (does not include PNG, JPEG, and GIF terminals)


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