How to Download Flutter to your pc: A Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide

How to Download Flutter:
Flutter is an open-source framework by Google that allows developers to build beautiful, high-performance apps for multiple platforms with a single codebase. If you’re a beginner looking to get started with Flutter, the first step is downloading and installing it on your system. This blog post will walk you through all the possible methods to download Flutter, with clear, easy-to-follow instructions for every operating system.

What You Need Before Downloading Flutter

Before downloading Flutter, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

• A computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux.
• A stable internet connection to download the SDK.
• A code editor like Visual Studio Code or Android Studio (optional but recommended).
• For Android development: Java Development Kit (JDK) and Android Studio tools.
• For iOS development (macOS users only): Xcode is installed via the Mac App Store.

Method 1: Downloading Flutter for Windows

Step 1: Check Your System Requirements

• Operating System: Windows 10 or later (64-bit).
• Disk Space: At least 1.64 GB of free space (excluding IDE/tools).

Step 2: Download the Flutter SDK

1. Visit the official Flutter website.
2. Navigate to the Get Started section and select Windows.
3. Download the Flutter SDK (Stable Channel) ZIP file.

Step 3: Extract the Flutter SDK

1. Extract the ZIP file to a folder of your choice, such as C:\flutter.
2. Avoid extracting it into a directory that requires admin permissions, like C:\Program Files.

Step 4: Add Flutter to Your System Path

1. Open the Start Menu and search for Environment Variables.
2. Under “System Variables,” find, select it, and click Edit.
3. Add the path to the flutter/bin directory (e.g., C:\flutter\bin).
4. Click OK to save and close all dialog boxes.

Step 5: Verify Installation

1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell.
2. Run the following command: flutter doctor
3. The output will show any missing dependencies, such as Android Studio or the Dart plugin. Follow the instructions to install them.

Method 2: Downloading Flutter for macOS

Step 1: Check Your System Requirements

• Operating System: macOS 10.14 or later.
• Disk Space: At least 2.8 GB of free space.

Step 2: Download the Flutter SDK

1. Go to the official Flutter website.
2. Select the Get Started section and choose macOS.
3. Download the latest Flutter SDK .zip file for macOS.

Step 3: Extract the Flutter SDK

1. Extract the .zip file to a folder of your choice (e.g., /Users/your-username/flutter).
2. Avoid placing it in system-protected directories.

Step 4: Add Flutter to Your System Path

1. Open the Terminal app.
2. Edit your shell configuration file based on the shell you use:
   • For zsh (default on macOS Catalina and later): nano ~/.zshrc
   • For bash: nano ~/.bash_profile
3. Add the following line to the file: export PATH="$PATH:/path-to-flutter-directory/flutter/bin" Replace /path-to-flutter-directory with the actual path where you extracted Flutter.
4. Save and close the file, then run: source ~/.zshrc # or ~/.bash_profile for bash users

Step 5: Verify Installation

1. Run the following command in the terminal: flutter doctor
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup (e.g., installing Xcode for iOS development).

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