How to Set Up a New Mac (2026)
To set up a new Mac fast: install Homebrew, write a Brewfile listing the apps you want, then run brew bundle to install them all in one pass — or let Bundl generate the whole command for you.
- 1
Finish macOS first-boot setup
Sign in with your Apple ID, connect to Wi-Fi, and run Software Update (Apple menu → System Settings → General → Software Update) so you start fully patched.
- 2
Install Homebrew
Homebrew is the package manager that installs everything else. Paste this once; it sets up at /opt/homebrew on Apple Silicon.
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)" - 3
Decide which apps you want
Pick a starting set by role or category instead of installing one app at a time. Browse Bundl’s curated collections and category hubs, or let the AI builder assemble a bundle for you.
- 4
Create a Brewfile
A Brewfile is a plain-text list of every app, cask, and tap you want. Save the example below as ~/Brewfile and edit it to taste — this is the file that makes your setup reproducible on any future Mac.
# ~/Brewfile — then run: brew bundle --file=~/Brewfile tap "homebrew/bundle" # CLI essentials brew "git" brew "node" brew "wget" # Browsers cask "arc" cask "google-chrome" # Developer tools cask "visual-studio-code" cask "iterm2" cask "rectangle" # Productivity cask "raycast" cask "obsidian" - 5
Install everything in one pass
Run brew bundle and Homebrew installs every line in your Brewfile — CLI tools, GUI apps, and fonts — unattended.
brew bundle --file=~/Brewfile - 6
Sign in and restore your config
Launch your apps, sign in, and restore dotfiles (.zshrc, .gitconfig) from your backup or GitHub. Your new Mac now matches your old one.
New-Mac app checklist
Not sure what to put in your Brewfile? Start from a curated set and add to it: