Installing GDAL (Python 3.6) on Mac OS X

InstallPythonGDAL.md

How-To: Install GDAL Python Bindings

I've found two ways to install the GDAL Python bindings on Mac.

Via GDAL Framework / QGIS

First, you can install the GDAL Framework via QGIS (or get it directly), and then do...

pip download GDAL
tar -xpzf tar -xpzf GDAL-2.3.2.tar.gz
cd GDAL-2.3.2
python setup.py build_ext -I/Library/Frameworks/GDAL.framework/Versions/2.3/Headers -L/Library/Frameworks/GDAL.framework/Versions/2.3/unix/lib --gdal-config /Library/Frameworks/GDAL.framework/Versions/2.3/unix/bin/gdal-config 
python setup.py build
python setup.py install

Via Homebrew

Alternatively, install GDAL via brew, then do similar to the above.

brew install gdal --HEAD
pip download GDAL
tar -xpzf tar -xpzf GDAL-2.3.2.tar.gz
cd GDAL-2.3.2
python setup.py build_ext --gdal-config /usr/local/Cellar/gdal/HEAD-41888_2/bin/gdal-config
python setup.py build
python setup.py install

Do an 'ls /usr/local/Cellar/gdal/' if you need to get the revision number.

Check

import osgeo
osgeo.gdal.VersionInfo()

Troubleshooting

I have found that sometimes only one version of Python can correctly import gdal without any dramas. For instance, 2.7 and 3.7 both give a "ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'osgeo'" error, but 3.6 works.

Kelvins-MacBook-Pro-899:~ kelvin$ python3.6
Python 3.6.6 (v3.6.6:4cf1f54eb7, Jun 26 2018, 19:50:54) 
[GCC 4.2.1 Compatible Apple LLVM 6.0 (clang-600.0.57)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> from osgeo import gdal
>>> gdal.VersionInfo()
'2040100'

I think (emphasis on the think) that now brew install gdal sets up Python correctly. GDAL 3.1.2: https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/gdal

gdal_merge.py shows the right message, didn't try it on data yet tho.

Got an error of "tar: Can't specify both -z and -z" when I run tar -xpzf tar -xpzf GDAL-2.3.2.tar.gz in the first way. How can I solve it?

@zhongyunshun Just remove one tar -xpzf

Update: I was having issues with the above on a different Mac, and I actually found that the following works:

brew install gdal
pip install GDAL==<gdal_version>

where <gdal_version> is what Homebrew installs, e.g. 2.4.2. Seems reasonable, but I never thought to try it. I guess I assumed it'd be more complex/painful...

python
>>> from osgeo import gdal
>>> gdal.VersionInfo()
'2040200'

Update: I was having issues with the above on a different Mac, and I actually found that the following works:

brew install gdal
pip install GDAL==<gdal_version>

where <gdal_version> is what Homebrew installs, e.g. 2.4.2. Seems reasonable, but I never thought to try it. I guess I assumed it'd be more complex/painful...

python
>>> from osgeo import gdal
>>> gdal.VersionInfo()
'2040200'

This works for me too!

👍 to the above solution

brew install gdal
pip install GDAL==<gdal_version>

Update: I was having issues with the above on a different Mac, and I actually found that the following works:

brew install gdal
pip install GDAL==<gdal_version>

where <gdal_version> is what Homebrew installs, e.g. 2.4.2. Seems reasonable, but I never thought to try it. I guess I assumed it'd be more complex/painful...

python
>>> from osgeo import gdal
>>> gdal.VersionInfo()
'2040200'

thank you, it is still work on MacOS Monterey 12.6.6

Hi, am trying install gdal in my macbook, but faced error. Also osgeo has same issue

Update: I was having issues with the above on a different Mac, and I actually found that the following works:

brew install gdal
pip install GDAL==<gdal_version>

where <gdal_version> is what Homebrew installs, e.g. 2.4.2. Seems reasonable, but I never thought to try it. I guess I assumed it'd be more complex/painful...

python
>>> from osgeo import gdal
>>> gdal.VersionInfo()
'2040200'

thank you, it is still work on MacOS Monterey 12.6.6

Worked for me on Sonoma 14.4.1 with gdal version 3.8.5