index.md

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title	Use F# on macOS | fsharp.org
headline	Use F# on macOS

## Option 1: Install the CLI tools and use your own editor

Install the .NET SDK.

Once that is installed, you can begin using F#!

Create a file called hello.fsx that looks like this:

printfn "Hello World from F#"

Now compile and run this F# script with the following command:

dotnet fsi hello.fsx

If this is your first time using .NET Core, there will be a short, one-time message about using the .NET SDK. After that, you'll see the following output in your console:

Hello World from F#

To create a project use

dotnet new console --language F#
dotnet run

You will see a message saying "Hello World from F#".

For more information see Getting started with the F# command line tools.

## Option 2: Install Visual Studio Code and Ionide

[Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com) is a free, [open source](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode), cross platform source code editor supporting [a lot of languages](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/languages/overview). F# is supported by the [Ionide](http://ionide.io/) project.

1. Install .NET Core SDK like in step 1.

2. Install Visual Studio Code for macOS.

3. Press Cmd+Shift+P and enter the following to install the Ionide package for VS Code.

   ext install Ionide-fsharp
   

You can also install the plugin from the plugin pane on the left-hand side.

Ionide works best if you use the .NET CLI to create your projects. You can learn more in Get Started with F# in Visual Studio Code.

## Option 3: Install JetBrains Rider [JetBrains Rider](https://www.jetbrains.com/rider) is a cross-platform .NET IDE built using IntelliJ and ReSharper technology. It offers support for .NET and .NET Core applications on all platforms.

You can install JetBrains Rider from here.

Copyright © 2025 JetBrains s.r.o. Rider and the Rider logo are trademarks of JetBrains s.r.o. ## Option 4: Build F# from source

You can build and contribute to the F# compiler and library from the source.