Downloading and installing additional Xcode components

Add more Simulator runtimes, optional features, and support for additional platforms.

Overview

Xcode lets you manage optional components yourself so that you can install only the components you use and remove the ones you don’t. For example, install the Simulator runtimes for the devices and operating systems your app runs on, or add support for platforms that you target. You download and install Xcode components in Xcode settings or using the command line.

Manage Xcode components in settings

To manage your components, choose Xcode > Settings and click Components in the sidebar. Xcode shows the installed and enabled components along with the amount of storage you can recover if you remove them.

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There are three types of components:

Platform Support: The platforms that you can develop your apps for.
Other Components: Optional Xcode features you can enable and disable.
Other Installed Platforms: Simulator runtimes for different devices and OS releases that you can run your app on.

To download and install a component in any of these sections, click the Get button next to the component.

To remove or disable components you no longer use and recover their storage space, click the information button next to the component. In the dialog that appears, click Delete or Turn Off depending on the component.

You can also install platform support when you create a project by selecting a template and clicking the Get button that appears for platforms that aren’t installed. For more information, see Creating an Xcode project for an app.

Install previously released Simulator runtimes in settings

You can get previously released Simulator runtimes in the Components settings. Under Other Installed Platforms, click the Add Platforms button. To filter the list in the dialog that appears, choose a platform and enter a term in the filter field in the toolbar. Then, select one or more versions in the list below, and click Download & Install.

Install Simulator runtimes from the Xcode run destination

When you open an Xcode project for a platform that doesn’t have any installed Simulator runtimes, Xcode displays a Get button next to the run destination and in the canvas. Click the Get button to download and install the most recent Simulator runtime for that platform.

The run destination in your Xcode project indicates when Xcode is downloading a Simulator runtime. You can select a run destination when Xcode completes the download and installation.

Download Xcode components from the command line

You can also download components in Terminal using the xcodebuild command. For example, use the command line to download Xcode components once and then install them across multiple Mac computers.

To download Simulator runtimes for a specific platform, use this syntax:

xcodebuild -downloadPlatform <iOS|watchOS|tvOS|visionOS>  [-exportPath <destinationpath> -buildVersion <osversion> -architectureVariant <universal|arm64>]

For example:

xcodebuild -downloadPlatform iOS -exportPath ~/Downloads

To specify an OS version, add the -buildVersion option:

xcodebuild -downloadPlatform iOS -exportPath ~/Downloads -buildVersion 18.0

To download all the supported platforms for the version of Xcode you select, use this syntax with the -downloadAllPlatforms option:

xcodebuild -downloadAllPlatforms [-exportPath <path>]

By default, Xcode downloads a variant based on your Mac computer’s architecture and whether you use Rosetta run destinations. Xcode downloads a universal variant for Intel-based Mac computers and when you use Rosetta run destinations. Otherwise, Xcode downloads an Apple silicon variant to save disk space for the platform you specify.

To download the universal variant that works on both Apple silicon and Intel-based Mac computers, use the -architectureVariant option:

xcodebuild -downloadPlatform iOS -architectureVariant universal

Install downloaded packages from the command line

After you download component packages, you can install them in Terminal with the xcodebuild command.

First, select the version of Xcode you want to use with the xcode-select -s <path-to-Xcode> command. Next, run xcodebuild -runFirstLaunch to install any required system components, including the simctl utility. Then, run xcodebuild with the -importPlatform <simruntime.dmg> option to install the component.

xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode-beta.app
xcodebuild -runFirstLaunch
xcodebuild -importPlatform "~/Downloads/watchOS 9 beta Simulator Runtime.dmg"

Download and install new hardware support in between Xcode releases

To download and install hardware support updates in between Xcode releases, use xcodebuild with the -runFirstLaunch and -checkForNewerComponents options. Before running this command, select the version of Xcode you want to use with the xcode-select -s <path-to-Xcode> command.

xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode.app
xcodebuild -runFirstLaunch -checkForNewerComponents

If new components exist, the -checkForNewerComponents option stores the files in the ~/Library/Developer/Packages/ directory and installs the components for the Xcode version you select.

Download and install the Metal Toolchain

To build your Metal apps, download and install the optional Metal Toolchain for the platforms your app targets.

If a sheet appears when you first launch Xcode that lets you select components, select the app’s platforms, select Metal Toolchain under Additional Components, and click Install.

Otherwise, you can manage all your downloads, including the Metal Toolchain, using the Components settings in Xcode. Choose Xcode > Settings, click Components in the sidebar, and then click the Get button next to Metal Toolchain under Other Components on the right.

If you attempt to build an app that requires the Metal Toolchain before downloading the toolchain, a dialog appears. Click Download to download the Metal Toolchain.

Alternatively, to download and install the toolchain from the command line, run this command from Terminal:

xcodebuild -downloadComponent metalToolchain

To download and install the toolchain separately, first download and export it to a file:

xcodebuild -downloadComponent metalToolchain -exportPath ~/Downloads

Then, install the toolchain into Xcode:

xcodebuild -importComponent metalToolchain ~/Downloads/metalToolchain.dmg