X11 for Mac

X11 for Mac

  • MacOS 10.9 and later (11.2 “Big Sur” Working as of 4 March 2021):
  1. Upgrade OS to latest available (not always necessary, but usually avoids bugs)
  2. Upgrade to (or install) XQuartz-2.8.0
  3. Log out/Log in to your Mac (may not be needed for upgrades from earlier 2.8.0 releases)
  4. starting Mac terminal (or x2go, if installed) should trigger xquartz.
  5. For OpenGL graphics to work, you may need to turn on indirect GLX by typing the following into your terminal: 
    defaults write org.xquartz.X11 enable_iglx -bool true
  6. If glxgears gives the error: “couldn’t get an RGB, Double-buffered visual”, add the following to your GreenPlanet .bash_profile or equivalent: 
    export __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=mesa
  • Before 10.9, use XQuartz 2.7.11
    • Warning: Some ancient apps may require an even older version (2.7.8) of XQuartz due to incompatibilities with “El Capitan” and “Mojave”