Welcome back! In my previous post I walked you through how to set up a modern PowerShell development environment on Windows with VS Code. Now we're doing again, giving macOS the same treatment. If you’re a cross-platform PowerShell engineer like myself—or just curious how the setup differs on a Mac—this basic starter guide is for you.
Similar to my previous post, the path will be --> installing PowerShell Core, getting VS Code ready, and customizing your environment. We'll also be tuning your Mac for a smooth PowerShell experience. Buuuuut FIRST...
Why PowerShell on Mac?
PowerShell isn’t just for Windows anymore, not for 6 years now: Microsoft open-sourced the engine awhile back, making it cross-platform. Windows, macOS, and Linux are all able to run the same PowerShell Core. For those who like to keep the same workflow across multiple OSes, this was game-changing. With a uniform scripting language: you can automate tasks, manage cloud services, and more—no matter which machine you’re on (almost -- there are a tiny few PowerShell Core commands that are still Windows-only, and I'll list those at the end of this tutorial -- but they are very few). Another reason to be familiar with PS scripting on Mac is that a lot of SEs and DevOps people are multi-platform these days, like yours-truly. I live in Windows ARM all the time now, running on my Macbook Pro. While I am using several Wintel laptops (and servers) in my daily DevOps project work, I'd wager the past three years of my scripts on my GitHub were all written on Mac (same for my blog posts, and most of my markdown document editing).
Installing VS Code
First, let's start with a couple of pre-requisites. Before we install anything, make sure you have:
- macOS 10.13 or later (High Sierra and above) – You’ll want a reasonably up-to-date Mac.
- Homebrew (Optional but highly recommended) – Homebrew is the most popular package manager for macOS. It simplifies installation of many command-line tools, including PowerShell and VS Code.
- Administrator privileges on your Mac (you’ll need to enter your password for certain steps. PS-if you're on a managed company Mac, contact your Jamf / Intune admins to help you with that).
Next, we're installing PowerShell Core. There are several ways to install it on macOS, but Homebrew is by far the easiest (and my preferred) method. I will show you this way first, and then also share PowerShell direct-download info afterward.
If you don’t already have Homebrew, head to brew.sh to install it-don't worry it's a quick install. You'll be launching macOS Terminal (⌘ + spacebar + "terminal" + return) BTW, to install Homebrew.
Once installed (or to just confirm it's already installed) let's get back into the macOS Terminal (steps again, in case you closed it: ⌘ + spacebar + "terminal" + return), and type these commands:
- Optional - verify Homebrew by typing: which brew & return (or brew help & return). Brew should give you the nod...
- Install PowerShell using Homebrew:
brew install --cask powershell
(Depending on Homebrew’s current naming conventions, you might see brew install powershell --cask. Check the PowerShell GitHub docs if you run into issues.)
Verify PowerShell installation by typing this in Terminal:
pwsh --version
You should see a version number for PowerShell Core.
As you might guess, launching PowerShell on macOS is --> launching Terminal and typing pwsh + return-which opens a new PowerShell session right there inside your Terminal.
The other method for installing PowerShell Core is to just download it which can be done here.
Before we move on to installing VS Code, if you got lost anywhere here is some backup straight from the horse's mouth.
Ok next we're installing VS Code and, as you may have guessed, you have the Homebrew option vs direct-download-we'll cover both starting with the former. In Terminal (you didn't close it, did you? If so no worries, just do the steps again of: ⌘ + spacebar + "terminal" + return) we're going to enter these commands:
brew install --cask visual-studio-code
And that's it! Check your Applications folder or Launchpad area, and you'll find VS Code has been installed by Homebrew.
To download go here and choose your Mac's CPU type (Intel or Apple Silicon):
A .zip file download will complete, and auto-extract the actual "Visual Studio Code.app" file in your Downloads folder. Just simply click-drag this file into your Applications folder:
From here you can launch VS Code and pin it to your Dock:
VS Code PowerShell Extension
With VS Code launched for the first time, it should look something like this:
At this point I want to refer you to Microsoft's well-done VS Code UI walkthrough. Go through that before we move on, I'll be right here when you get back.
With VS Code installed, let’s add the official PowerShell extension:
- Click on the Extensions icon in the left sidebar (or press ⇧⌘X), and Search for “PowerShell”:
Click the blue Install button, and then Enable the extension afterward.
This extension will be your Swiss Army Knife for PowerShell development—syntax highlighting, debugging, IntelliSense, integrated console, and so on.
Recommended Additional Extensions & Add-Ons
While the core PowerShell extension might be all you strictly need, here are a few more suggestions to supercharge your environment:
• PowerShell Preview – Offers early access to PowerShell extension features.
• GitLens – If you’re working with Git source control, GitLens offers line-by-line blame, advanced diffing, and more.
• Pester Test Adapter – Great optional Extension if you're an intermediate or advanced scripter and your team is using Pester tests in their CI/CD pipeline.
One last Extension recommendation, is for any Mac or Linux users who use vim. You can have a vim-like workflow in VS Code via a vim exension! It lets VS Code offer vim key bindings and workflow, which is pretty slick!
macOS-Specific Configuration Tweaks
While the Windows and Mac workflows are similar, there are a few macOS-specific tweaks you might find helpful:
a) Configure the Integrated Terminal
By default, VS Code might still open bash/zsh in its integrated terminal. To open PowerShell in the integrated terminal:
- Open the Command Palette (⇧⌘P) and type “Terminal: Select Default Profile”.
- Choose PowerShell from the dropdown (if you don’t see it, make sure pwsh is on your PATH).
- Close and re-open the integrated terminal (or reload VS Code) to confirm it’s now running PowerShell (note: you can easily switch this back if you also do a fair bit of 'nix bash scripting).
b) Execution Policy on Mac
macOS has fewer restrictions on script execution than Windows, which can present objections from CISOs or SOCs that are not 100% familiar with how PowerShell operates on Macs. To illustrate, inside a PowerShell session issue this command:
Get-ExecutionPolicy -List
You will notice right away that everything is "unrestricted", which is not the norm on Windows. The thing to know, here, is: on macOS and Linux you cannot issue the "Set-ExecutionPolicy" command in order change PowerShell Core's execution policy. But do not despair! You and your SOC team might be relieved to know that, when you run "pwsh" to launch a PowerShell session in Terminal on macOS or Linux, PowerShell already runs in a limited user-context (user-mode). Just as it does on Windows. So you're already in a basic secure footing working with PowerShell scripts on Mac when running PowerShell the default way as the logged-in user.
While you can run "sudo pwsh" as the superuser (root), take care as most IT Enterprise security tools (EDR/endpoint protection suites) will alert on this or perhaps even not allow it. This is because you would be running pwsh with the ability to make privileged system-level changes. So in any corporate IT or DevOps environment where you're using your Mac, it's important to see what the rules of the road are, here.
Working with PowerShell in VS Code on macOS
Once PowerShell and the VS Code extension are installed, the workflow is pretty much identical to Windows:
- Create a new file in VS Code and save it with a .ps1 extension to trigger PowerShell IntelliSense.
- Write or paste your script.
- Press F5 (or click on the Run/Debug icon on the left) to debug the script with breakpoints, variable watch, etc.
You’ll get the same color-coding, tab completion, and debugging experience you’re used to on Windows—only you’re on macOS! 😉
A word on testing your PowerShell scripts that target Windows OS: on recent Mac models you can generally test most of your Windows scripts, by running Windows ARM Virtual Machine. For that you need to either purchase Parallels (*what I use), or go with low-cost/free solutions like UTM or VMWare Fusion Pro (made free in late 2024 for non-commercial use).
I can test 85% or more of my Windows-targeting PowerShell scripts right here on my Mac; however, if your environment has a lot of Wintel endpoints to suport-keep a PC around for basic testing as well. It will save you additional time.
Tips & Gotchas for Windows VS Code Users
Path Differences
On macOS, the $HOME directory is typically /Users/YourName. In scripts that might reference Windows paths (like C:\Users), you’ll want to adapt them to macOS file paths.Case Sensitivity
macOS file systems can be case-sensitive (depending on your disk format). Keep that in mind for any file references in scripts or module imports.Script Signing
If your organization requires signed scripts, you’ll need to configure a signing certificate that works on macOS. Typically, that’s done via a code-signing certificate from a recognized authority or your internal PKI.Auto-Update
Using Homebrew means you can run brew upgrade to keep PowerShell and other tools updated. For major PowerShell updates or changes, check the official PowerShell release notes.Windows OS-Specific Cmdlets
Certain cmdlets aimed at Windows simply won't work withing PowerShell on macOS or Linux (see above, for Virtual Machine tip). Commands like Get-EventLog, Get-WmiObject, and commands that manage Windows Services (or use AD PS Modules) will not run nativelyh on the cross-platform PowerShell edition. Same for any PS script code that use any Graphical or Windows Shell-specific cmdlets (really any cmdlets that depend on Windows‑specific APIs). So I recommend Windows VMs to run those cmdlets, or sync'ing your scripts so you can test on available Wintel PCs (see my note on Git in the next section).
You may be able run some Windows-specific PowerShell cmdlets from your Mac to remote Windows PCs via Enter-PSSession; however, that is a whole other write-up and outside the scope of this tutorial. 😉
PowerShell Core (the cross-platform edition) preserves a lot of compatibility between Windows/macOS/Linux, but some cmdlets just can never work. Especially many commands from “classic” Windows built-in PowerShell. So if you're doing a lot of Windows PowerShell scripting development on your Mac, just keep that in mind! ☺️
Version Control & Syncing
If you aren’t already, consider using Git for all your PowerShell scripts. Version control is essential for tracking changes, collaborating, and rolling back mistakes. You don't have to be using GitHub or Azure DevOps, to use source control locally*; however, I highly-recommend you (or your company IT/DevOps team) adopt something like GitHub minimum, if you haven't yet. GitHub has has an Enterprise tier/plan and supports private company-only [Repos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repository_(version_control). It's a must for collaborative work, as your team needs a common source-control and Repository to work in.
To install Git on macOS with Homebrew:
brew install git
...and you can also install GitHub Desktop GUI tool through HomeBrew or direct-download, too. Here's the Homebrew way:
brew install --cask github
Also remember that VS Code can sync settings (like extensions, preferences, and keybindings) across all your devices using Settings Sync. Log into your GitHub or Microsoft account from within VS Code, to enable this feature.
Wrapping Up
And there you have it—your Mac is now a bona fide PowerShell development workstation, powered by VS Code, complete with debugging, IntelliSense, and the convenience of a cross-platform scripting language. 😎 If you’ve followed along from my previous Windows guide, you’ll notice how similar the experience is; Microsoft has done a stellar job keeping PowerShell consistent across platforms. You could probably follow this guide right now on a Linux machine, and the steps would be similar-except you'd be using a different package manager as Homebrew is a Mac thing only.
Whether you’re scripting out big automation tasks, or simply dabbling in cross-platform command-line tools, a Mac + PowerShell + VS Code setup will let you work confidently. If you have any macOS-specific tweaks or customizations you love, feel free to drop me a line and share your tips, a
I hope this was helpful, if it was please drop me a line to let me know. I welcome feedback, and routinely add corrections / follow-up post from it.
Happy scripting!