how to install Okular viewer on macOS Big Sur, using M1/Apple Silicon/arm64

okular-appleSilicon.md

1. Install homebrew from https://brew.sh/ (follow the instructions there)
2. tap the https://invent.kde.org/packaging/homebrew-kde/ repo, brew tap kde-mac/kde https://invent.kde.org/packaging/homebrew-kde.git
3. brew edit okular, workaround now is to comment out or delete the line depends_on "chmlib" (won't compile on macos arm64 for now as of 2021-08-18), then save (if using vim you need to first press i to insert/type, when saving then <esc> then :wq then <enter>.
4. brew install okular, wait for stuff to compile and/or install
5. It may ask for keychain credentials (to sign the binaries? because of mac arm64 security policy https://eclecticlight.co/2021/01/26/when-you-dont-have-permission-to-run-an-app-on-an-m1-mac/)
6. $(brew --repo kde-mac/kde)/tools/do-caveats.sh
7. Now okular is in your $HOME/Applications/KDE folder, and will show up in Launchpad! You can view pdf, djvu, etc documents.

Edit: as of 2025 there is now a precompiled nightly binary available for download at https://okular.kde.org/download/, or at https://cdn.kde.org/ci-builds/graphics/okular/master/macos-arm64/. It is unsigned so use sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/okular.app to bypass quarantine after install.

Some progress:

$ brew link --force qt@5
$ sudo ln -s $(brew --prefix qt@5)/mkspecs /usr/local/mkspecs
$ sudo ln -s $(brew --prefix qt@5)/plugins /usr/local/plugins

Then, by your shell script, it works after ln -s /opt/homebrew/opt/qt@5 /opt/homebrew/opt/qt5. I could install kf5-ki18n.rb.

But, now another problem:

==> Installing kf5-kiconthemes from kde-mac/kde
==> cmake -G Ninja -B build -S . -D BUILD_QCH=ON -D BUILD_TESTING=ON -D BUILD_TE
Last 15 lines from /Users/sakuraim/Library/Logs/Homebrew/kf5-kiconthemes/01.cmake:
"KF5Archive", but CMake did not find one.
` Could not find a package configuration file provided by "KF5Archive"` ` (requested version 5.111.0) with any of the following names:`
KF5ArchiveConfig.cmake
kf5archive-config.cmake
` Add the installation prefix of "KF5Archive" to CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH or set` ` "KF5Archive_DIR" to a directory containing one of the above files. If` ` "KF5Archive" provides a separate development package or SDK, be sure it has` ` been installed.`
``
-- Configuring incomplete, errors occurred!

Some idea?

After brew install kf5-karchive.rb in your fork repository, it delivers some errors for phonon.

I bypassed the errors of phonon by editing the header files of enum to explicity use unsigned. It's like this: https://bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=272029.

I think I managed to install okular, but I still cannot print PDF files in a just size. Thanks a lot!

Note that I also needed things including ln -s /opt/homebrew/lib/libKF5Archive.5.dylib /opt/homebrew/Cellar/kdoctools/5.109.0/bin/../../../../opt/karchive/lib/libKF5Archive.5.dylib.

For some reasons, I cannot use Okular again. (I brew upgrade for some times and this may cause it.) Is there someone who overcame this situation?

You can compile okular and other kde applications on macos using nix language.

You’ll have to write your own derivation to get a macos app working tho, and it is very tricky. For me, I have no idea how to get kde gui going but…

Hey all, As of 2025(?) there is also a precompiled nightly build available on https://okular.kde.org/download/ for macOS so this may save the trouble of compiling okular. Hope that helps!

Nice!

I didn't know much about the nix language, though I know a little bit about the modern C++. About the nightly prebuild, I wish I could print PDF files. (The printing problem is the one that I am still trying to compile-build from the scratch.)

Hmm, are you unable to print from the nightly build on https://okular.kde.org/download/ ? I'm on macOS 15.5 and it seems I can open the system print dialogue to print PDFs on my end.

Print has been broken for me with macOS and Okular since I tried using it in 2023.

I don't know much about the reasons, but I cannot print and/or print-preview. The preview screen shows something like a PS-source text.