Understanding MacOS Bash PATH Configuration
The PATH is an environment variable in Unix-like operating systems, including macOS, that specifies a list of directories where the system should look for executable files when a command is entered in the terminal. This allows users to run commands without specifying the full path to the executable every time. In macOS, the PATH configuration is managed through the following files:
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/etc/paths
: This file contains a list of directories that are added to the system-wide PATH. Each directory is listed on a separate line. When the system starts up or a new user session is created, the contents of this file are read, and the listed directories are added to the PATH.