Creating an Xcode project for an app
Set up a new project to start developing your app.
Overview
Xcode creates a project for the platforms and type of app you want to make, so you can begin writing and testing code immediately. You can start with a basic SwiftUI project or customize one of the templates for the technologies you want to use. Then familiarize yourself with the project window and learn where to change the project configuration.
Create a SwiftUI app project
On the Welcome to Xcode window that appears when you first launch Xcode, choose App from the New Project pop-up menu or choose File > New > Project and select App from anywhere in Xcode.
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To save your code changes, choose File > Save Project, and in the sheet that appears, enter the project name in the Save As field and click Save. To use a different name for the app, toggle off Rename Target.
Create a project from a template
For more complex apps that use specific technologies, create a project from an Xcode template to get started. For example, you can create a project for a SwiftUI app that uses SwiftData, a macOS command-line tool, an iOS augmented reality app, or a visionOS immersive environment app.
On the Welcome to Xcode window, choose Choose Template from the New Project pop-up menu or choose File > New > Project and then click Choose Template from anywhere in Xcode.
In the sheet that appears, select Multiplatform for an app that runs on all platforms or a specific platform, such as iOS or macOS. Then select a template under Application depending on the platform you select.
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If you see a banner that says you don’t have support for a platform, you can create the project, but you can’t build and run it. To install the platform now, click the Get button on the right of the banner. Otherwise, manage downloads in the Components settings later. For more information, see Downloading and installing additional Xcode components.
In the “Choose options for your new project” sheet:
Enter a product name for your app as you want it to appear on App Store product pages and when someone installs your app. Later, you can change the app name in the General pane of the project editor.
Optionally, choose an account from the Team pop-up menu that Xcode uses to code sign your app. If your account doesn’t appear, choose Add an Account to enter your credentials in Apple Accounts settings. To create an Apple developer account, see Apple Developer Program.
Enter an organization identifier that Xcode uses to create the bundle identifier (CFBundleIdentifier) that uniquely identifies your app throughout the system.
Choose other options from pop-up menus below depending on the template you select, such as SwiftUI for the interface and Swift for the language.
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In the last sheet, choose a location for your project, select other options, and click Create. Xcode creates a project containing essential configuration and source code files to build and run the type of app you select.
For more information on properties in your project that the App Store uses, see App information in App Store Connect Help.
Manage files in the main window
When you create a project or open an existing project, the main window appears, showing the necessary files and resources for developing your app.
You can access different parts of your project from the navigator area on the left. Use the Project navigator to select files you want to edit in the editor area. For example, when you select a Swift file in the Project navigator, the file opens in the source editor, where you can modify the code and set breakpoints.
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Details about the selected file also appear in the inspector area on the right. In the inspector area, you can select the File inspector to edit properties of a file. If you want to hide the inspector to make more room for the editor, click the “Hide or show the Inspectors” button in the upper-right corner of the toolbar.
You use the toolbar to build and run your app on a simulated or physical device. For an iOS app, choose a device from the run destination pop-up menu and click Run. For a macOS app, choose My Mac and click Run. For more information, see Running your app on simulated or physical devices.
When your app launches, the debug area opens, where you can control the execution of your app and inspect variables. When the app stops at a breakpoint that you set, use the controls in the debug area to step through the code or continue execution. When you are done running the app, click Stop in the toolbar. For more information on using the debugger, see Diagnosing and resolving bugs in your running app.
If you add a preview or playground to your source file, you can interact with it in the canvas area. Most projects you create from a template already contain previews that appear in the canvas. For more information, see Adding previews to your interface files and Running code snippets using the playground macro.
To use the coding assistant to explain or generate code, see Writing code with intelligence in Xcode.
Change the configuration in the project editor
To view your project configuration, select the project in the Project navigator, then select the target in the project editor on the right. Click the tabs in the project editor, such as General and Signing & Capabilities, to make changes.
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For example, on the General pane you can change the bundle ID after you create your project. For all the steps to change the bundle ID, see Changing the bundle identifier.
To add a Liquid Glass app icon that supports different platforms and appearances to your project, see Creating your app icon using Icon Composer.