How to Set Up a New Mac with Homebrew in 10 Minutes

Setting up a new Mac usually means hours of downloading apps one by one. With a Brewfile, you can install everything with a single command.

Create Your Brewfile

On your current Mac, export everything you’ve installed:

brew bundle dump --describe --file=~/Brewfile

This creates a Brewfile in your home directory listing every formula, cask, and Mac App Store app you’ve installed via Homebrew.

What’s in a Brewfile

# Brewfile
tap "homebrew/cask"
brew "git"
brew "node"
cask "firefox"
cask "visual-studio-code"
cask "vlc"
mas "Xcode", id: 497799835

On Your New Mac

1. Install Homebrew:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

2. Copy your Brewfile to the new Mac and run:

brew bundle install --file=~/Brewfile

That’s it. All your apps install automatically.

Keep Your Brewfile Updated

After installing new apps, update the Brewfile:

brew bundle dump --describe --force --file=~/Brewfile

Version Control Your Brewfile

Store it in a dotfiles repo:

cp ~/Brewfile ~/.dotfiles/
cd ~/.dotfiles
git add Brewfile && git commit -m "Update Brewfile"

Now your Mac setup is reproducible, version-controlled, and portable. New machine? Run one command. New team member? Share the Brewfile.