Flutter Command Not Found

Problem Description

You have installed Flutter on your system, but whenever you try to run any Flutter command (like `flutter doctor` or `flutter create`), you get an error message saying that the `flutter` command is not found.

Solution: Adding Flutter Path Correctly

Adding Flutter path correctly will solve this problem. Here’s how you can do it:

### Step 1: Determine the Directory Where You Placed the Flutter SDK

Determine the directory where you placed the Flutter SDK. You will need this in Step 3.

# Example:
# PATH_TO_FLUTTER_GIT_DIRECTORY = /Users/your_username/Development/flutter

Step 2: Update Your Path (macOS)

Update your path:

### macOS v10.14 and earlier

1. nano ~/.bash_profile to open or create the file.
2. Add the following line, changing [PATH_TO_FLUTTER_GIT_DIRECTORY] to be the path where you cloned Flutter’s Git repository is:

export PATH=[PATH_TO_FLUTTER_GIT_DIRECTORY]/flutter/bin:$PATH

3. Ctrl + X, then choose Yes when it asks you to save the file.
4. source $HOME/.bash_profile to refresh the current window or restart the terminal.

Step 3: Verify That the Flutter/bin Directory is Now in Your PATH (macOS)

Verify that the flutter/bin directory is now in your PATH by running:

echo $PATH

Alternative Instructions for zsh Users (macOS)

1. nano ~/.zshrc
2. Add: export PATH=[PATH_TO_FLUTTER_GIT_DIRECTORY]/flutter/bin:$PATH
3. source ~/.zshrc
4. Restart the terminal.
5. flutter doctor -v

Alternative Instructions for macOS v10.15 (Catalina)

macOS v10.15 (Catalina) uses the Z shell by default, so edit $HOME/.zshrc. If you are using a different shell, the file path and filename will be different on your machine.

Step 1: Open Terminal

nano ~/.zshrc

Step 2: Add Export Command

Add the following line:

export PATH=[PATH_TO_FLUTTER_GIT_DIRECTORY]/flutter/bin:$PATH

Step 3: Run source command to refresh zsh configuration

source ~/.zshrc

Step 4: Restart the Terminal

Restart the terminal.

Alternative Instructions for Older macOS and Linux Systems

On older systems (pre-macOS v10.15), follow these steps:

### Step 1: Open Your Text Editor

1. nano ~/.bash_profile

Step 2: Add Export Command

Add the following line, changing [PATH_TO_FLUTTER_GIT_DIRECTORY] to be the path where you cloned Flutter’s Git repository is:

export PATH=[PATH_TO_FLUTTER_GIT_DIRECTORY]/flutter/bin:$PATH

Step 3: Save and Close the File

Ctrl + X, then choose Yes when it asks you to save the file.

Alternative Method for Adding Flutter Path Permanently (macOS)

This method permanently adds Flutter path without requiring restart or running `source` command after each terminal session.

### Step 1: Open the Terminal

1. nano /etc/paths

Step 2: Add Export Command Permanently

Add this to the file:

/Users/yourUserName/Development/flutter/bin

Step 3: Save and Close the File

Ctrl + X, then choose Yes when it asks you to save the file.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you should be able to add Flutter path correctly on your macOS system. Remember that you might need to restart your terminal or run `source` command after each step if using older macOS or Linux systems.

Common Mistakes and Troubleshooting Tips

Here are some common mistakes people make when trying to add Flutter path:

### Common Mistake 1: Using the wrong shell

1. Verify which shell you’re using (bash or zsh).

Troubleshooting Tip 1:

If you’ve added Flutter path correctly but still get errors, try restarting your terminal.

Common Mistake 2: Using the wrong directory

1. Verify that you’re adding the correct path for your Flutter SDK installation.

Troubleshooting Tip 2:

Try running echo $PATH to verify if Flutter path is correctly added.