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This guide walks you through everything from scratch — no experience required. Whether you're on a Mac or Windows PC, we'll explain every step in plain language and get your developer tools set up in minutes.
Pick your platform below. You'll be up and running in about 10 minutes.
Before You Begin — Key Concepts
You'll see these terms throughout the guides. Here's what they mean in plain English.
Terminal (macOS)
A built-in app on every Mac that lets you type commands instead of clicking buttons. Think of it as a text-based version of Finder. You type a command, press Enter, and the computer does it. It comes pre-installed — you just need to open it.
PowerShell (Windows)
A built-in app on every Windows PC for running commands and scripts. Think of it as a text-based version of File Explorer. You type a command, press Enter, and things happen. It comes pre-installed with Windows 10 and 11.
Git
A tool that downloads code from the internet and keeps track of changes. Think of it as a smart folder syncer. When we say "clone a repository," that just means "download a folder of code to your computer."
GitHub
A website where developers share code. This toolbox lives on GitHub. Git (the tool above) downloads it from GitHub to your machine. You don't need a GitHub account to use these tools.
Package Manager
An app store you run from the command line. Instead of visiting websites to download apps one by one, you type a single command and it installs everything for you. Homebrew is the one for Mac. Chocolatey is the one for Windows.
Script
A text file with a list of commands that run automatically, one after another. Instead of typing 50 commands yourself, you run one script and it does everything. That's what the tools in this toolbox are — scripts that automate tedious setup tasks.
macOS — Step by Step
Setting up a Mac from scratch. Each step builds on the previous one.
Open Terminal
Terminal is already on your Mac. Here's how to find it:
# Press Command + Space, then type "Terminal" and press Enter
# Option B: Find it in Applications
# Open Finder → Applications → Utilities → Terminal
A window with a dark or white background and a blinking cursor will appear. That's Terminal. Everything you type here runs as a command when you press Enter.
Install Developer Tools
Your Mac needs a few basic tools before anything else will work. Paste this command into Terminal and press Enter:
A dialog box will pop up asking you to install "Command Line Developer Tools." Click Install and wait for it to finish (a few minutes). This gives your Mac the git command we'll use in the next step.
Download the Toolbox
Now download this toolbox to your computer. Paste this into Terminal and press Enter:
This creates a folder called toolBox inside ~/Developer on your Mac. The ~ symbol means your home folder (like /Users/yourname). You'll see some progress text, then it's done.
Run Your First Script
Let's set up your entire dev environment with one command. Paste this into Terminal:
The script will ask for your admin password (the one you use to log into your Mac). Type it and press Enter — you won't see the characters as you type, but that's normal. The script then installs Homebrew, developer tools, and apps. It takes 5–10 minutes.
What You'll See
The script shows color-coded progress as it works:
[WARN] node — UPDATE AVAILABLE (18.0 → 20.0)
[INFO] Installing jq — JSON processor
[OK] jq installed.
# At the end you'll see a summary:
Already current: 8
Newly installed: 3
Upgraded: 1
Green means good. Yellow means something needs attention. Red means something went wrong. The summary at the end shows you exactly what happened.
Prefer Not to Use Terminal?
You can use Apple Shortcuts instead. Each tool has a .shortcut file you can import:
# Then run it from Shortcuts with one click
# But first, enable scripts:
# Shortcuts → Settings → Advanced → Allow Running Scripts
# (Disable this setting when you're done for security)
Shortcuts are available for: Package Manager Setup, Repo Sync, and App Downloader. Each one clones the toolbox automatically if needed.
Windows — Step by Step
Setting up a Windows PC from scratch. Each step builds on the previous one.
Open PowerShell as Administrator
PowerShell is already on your PC. You need to run it as Administrator (elevated privileges) for the setup to work:
# Type "PowerShell"
# Right-click "Windows PowerShell" and choose "Run as administrator"
# Click "Yes" on the security prompt that appears
A blue window will appear with a blinking cursor. The title bar should say "Administrator" to confirm you have the right permissions. This is PowerShell.
Install Git
Your PC needs Git to download the toolbox. Paste this command into PowerShell and press Enter:
winget install --id Git.Git -e --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements
# If winget is not available, download Git from:
# https://git-scm.com/download/win
# Run the installer with all default settings
After installing, close PowerShell and reopen it as Administrator so it recognizes the new git command. This is a one-time step.
Download the Toolbox
Now download this toolbox to your computer. Paste this into PowerShell and press Enter:
This creates a folder called toolBox inside Developer in your user folder (like C:\Users\YourName\Developer\toolBox). You'll see some progress text, then it's done.
Run Your First Script
Let's set up your entire dev environment with one command. Make sure PowerShell is running as Administrator, then paste:
& "$env:USERPROFILE\Developer\toolBox\scripts\package-manager-setup\choco-setup.ps1"
The first line allows scripts to run in this session (a Windows security feature). The second line runs the setup. It installs Chocolatey, developer tools, and apps. Takes 5–10 minutes.
What You'll See
The script shows color-coded progress as it works:
[WARN] nodejs-lts — NOT INSTALLED
[INFO] Installing nodejs-lts — Node.js LTS runtime
[OK] nodejs-lts installed.
# At the end you'll see a summary:
Already current: 6
Newly installed: 5
Upgraded: 0
Green means good. Yellow means something needs attention. Red means something went wrong. The summary tells you exactly what happened.
Prefer Not to Use PowerShell?
You can use Power Automate Desktop instead. It's a free Microsoft app (pre-installed on Windows 11) that runs scripts with one click:
# 2. Create a new flow
# 3. Open the .pad file from the toolbox in Notepad
# 4. Copy all the text and paste it into the flow editor
# 5. Save and click Run
PAD flows are available for: Package Manager Setup, Repo Sync, and App Downloader. Each one clones the toolbox automatically if needed.
Recommended Order
If you're setting up a fresh system, run the tools in this order:
1. Package Manager Setup — installs the package manager and developer tools that the other scripts depend on.
2. Repo Sync — clones all your GitHub repos (requires gh, which Package Manager Setup installs).
3. App Downloader — downloads app installers to your Downloads folder.
You don't have to use all three. Each tool works independently — but this order avoids having to install dependencies manually.
Explore the Tools
Now that you know the basics, pick a tool to learn more about what it does.
Package Manager Setup
Install Homebrew (Mac) or Chocolatey (Windows) plus all your developer tools with one command. The best place to start.
Repo Sync
Download all your GitHub code repositories to your computer at once. Keeps them updated on future runs.
App Downloader
Download installer files for apps like Chrome, VS Code, and Slack. Tracks versions so you know when updates are available.
Non App Store Apps Download
A full macOS app with a graphical interface for searching, managing, and batch downloading apps from official sources.
Need Help?
If something doesn't work or you're stuck on a step, open an issue on GitHub and describe what happened. Include any error messages you see — copy and paste them from Terminal or PowerShell. We're happy to help.
You can also re-run any script with a "check" flag to see what's installed without making changes:
bash ~/Developer/toolBox/scripts/package-manager-setup/brew-setup.sh --check
# Windows: add -Check to any script
.\Developer\toolBox\scripts\package-manager-setup\choco-setup.ps1 -Check