Skip to content

Installing Dart

Set up the Dart SDK on your development machine.

What is it?

Dart installation involves downloading and configuring the Dart Software Development Kit (SDK) on your operating system. The SDK includes:

  • The dart command-line tool
  • The pub package manager
  • The Dart runtime
  • Core libraries and tools

Why does it exist?

You need to install Dart to:

  • Compile and run Dart programs
  • Manage dependencies with pub
  • Use the Dart development tools
  • Build Flutter applications
  • Access the standard library

Installation Methods

Windows

# Install Chocolatey first if needed
# Then install Dart
choco install dart-sdk

Using the installer

  1. Download the Dart SDK from dart.dev/get-dart
  2. Run the installer
  3. Follow the installation wizard
  4. Add the Dart SDK bin directory to your PATH

Using winget

winget install Dart.Dart

macOS

# Install Homebrew first if needed
brew tap dart-lang/dart
brew install dart

Using the installer

  1. Download the Dart SDK from dart.dev/get-dart
  2. Open the downloaded .dmg file
  3. Drag the Dart SDK to your Applications folder
  4. Add the SDK bin directory to your PATH

Manual installation

# Download and extract
curl -O https://storage.googleapis.com/dart-archive/channels/stable/release/latest/sdk/dartsdk-macos-x64-release.zip
unzip dartsdk-macos-x64-release.zip
mv dart-sdk /usr/local/dart-sdk

# Add to PATH
echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/usr/local/dart-sdk/bin"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Linux

Using apt (Ubuntu/Debian)

# Add the official repository
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https

# Setup repository
sudo sh -c 'wget -qO- https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | apt-key add -'
sudo sh -c 'wget -qO- https://storage.googleapis.com/download.dartlang.org/linux/debian/dart_stable.list > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/dart_stable.list'

# Install Dart
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install dart

Using snap

# Install via snap
sudo snap install dart --classic

Using brew (Linux)

# Install Homebrew first
brew tap dart-lang/dart
brew install dart

Manual installation

# Download and extract
wget https://storage.googleapis.com/dart-archive/channels/stable/release/latest/sdk/dartsdk-linux-x64-release.zip
unzip dartsdk-linux-x64-release.zip
sudo mv dart-sdk /usr/local/dart-sdk

# Add to PATH
echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/usr/local/dart-sdk/bin"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

VS Code Extension (Optional)

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
  3. Search for "Dart"
  4. Install the "Dart" extension by Dart Code
  5. Install "Flutter" extension if building Flutter apps

IntelliJ IDEA (Optional)

  1. Open IntelliJ IDEA
  2. Go to Settings > Plugins
  3. Search for "Dart"
  4. Install the Dart plugin
  5. Restart the IDE
  6. Configure the SDK path

Verify Installation

Check the version

dart --version

Expected output:

Dart SDK version: 3.x.x (stable)

Check the path

which dart

Expected output:

/usr/local/dart-sdk/bin/dart
# or similar path

Run a test program

Create a file called hello.dart:

void main() {
  print('Hello, World!');
}

Run it:

dart hello.dart

Expected output:

Hello, World!

Common Issues

'dart' command not found

Solution:

  • Ensure the Dart SDK bin directory is in your PATH
  • Restart your terminal after installation
  • On Windows, check that the installation path is correct

Permission denied on Linux/macOS

Solution:

chmod +x /usr/local/dart-sdk/bin/dart

Version mismatch

Solution:

  • Update to the latest stable version
  • Check if multiple versions are installed
  • Use dart --version to confirm the active version

Installing Flutter (Optional)

If you plan to use Flutter:

# Follow Flutter installation guide
flutter doctor

Dart is included with Flutter, so you don't need to install it separately.

Best Practices

  • Use the stable channel for production work
  • Consider using version managers like fvm for Flutter projects
  • Keep Dart updated to the latest stable version
  • Use dart upgrade to update to the latest version
  • Add dart/bin to your system PATH

Summary

Installing Dart is straightforward on all major platforms. Choose the method that works best for your development environment. After installation, verify it works by running a simple program. The SDK includes everything you need to start developing Dart applications.

Next Steps

Now that Dart is installed, continue to:

Did You Know?

  • The Dart SDK is about 200-400 MB depending on the platform
  • Dart can be installed without admin privileges using the zip/tar archives
  • The SDK includes a built-in package manager called pub
  • Dart updates are released approximately every 6 weeks
  • You can run Dart code directly from the web using DartPad