How to Install Xcode in OS X Lion

February 3, 2012 / By

This very brief tutorial will show you how to install Xcode in OS X Lion.

While this process isn’t exactly difficult, it is slightly more complicated than it should be. Note: Xcode is a 1.68GB download, and results in at least 3.97GB of used disk space. Plan your installation accordingly.

  1. Launch the App Store on your Mac. In the Search bar, enter xcode.

  2. Click the INSTALL APP button for Xcode

  3. Sit and wait. Grab yourself a cup of coffee. Peruse the other Mac tutorials on Simple Help (shameless I know…). This is the part where the 1.68GB installer file is being downloaded. The time it takes to download will depend on your Internet connection speed.

  4. Once the status changes to INSTALLED your Xcode download has completed. However, Xcode has not actually been installed, which is slightly misleading. Continue to the next step to install Xcode.

  5. Quit iTunes if it’s open. Launch a Finder window and navigate to your Applications folder. Locate the Install Xcode file and double-click it.


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  6. Click the Install button in the Install Xcode window. You may want to refill that coffee, the installation takes a while.


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    Note: if during the installation your receive an error that states iTunes is open and needs to quit, even though it’s not open – follow these steps:

    1. Open the Activity Monitor (located in your Applications -> Utilities folder).
    2. Locate the iTunes Helper entry from the Process Name column. Select it by clicking it once. Click the large red Quit Process button in the upper-left corner of the window, then click the Quit button in the confirmation window.
    3. You should be able to continue the installation now.
  7. Once the installation has completed, Xcode will launch.


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  8. Xcode does not install itself to your Applications folder. Rather, it can be found in /Developer/Applications/.


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  9. Yes, you can delete the Install Xcode file from your Applications folder to save on disk space. You may want to back it up first – if you ever need to re-install Xcode, having that file handy will save you from having to download it again.


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  10. Happy Developing!

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