Studying Code Apps using MacOS issue on installing PAC cli

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Posted on by powerdevkris

150 Season of Giving Solutions 2025

Hi,

Trying to study about code apps using MacOS and VSCode. On the step of installing power platform tools. it always prompt me to have the dotnet SDK 6.0 up to be installed. i have tried installing different versions but still the PAC cli wont install. Hoping someone manage to complete the process and give some guidance

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Power Apps Pro Dev & ISV

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timl 37,099 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi @powerdevkris

I'm not sure how much this helps, but this article on installing the CLI for PCF development might provide some guidance.

https://community.dynamics.com/blogs/post/?postid=5d556199-fcbd-ef11-b8e8-7c1e520b5bae

You mention you tried installing different versions of the .NET SDK - I would try installing the latest version of the .NET SDK. It's possible that this could be an architecture issue, so I'd double check that you're installing the version that matches your processor (eg, Arm64 or x64).

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11manish 2,286 on at

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On macOS (especially with Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 chips), the PAC CLI often fails if there is a mismatch between the x64 and Arm64 versions of the .NET SDK.

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/73247933/how-to-fix-no-net-sdks-were-found-error-vscode

Check your architecture: Open Terminal and run dotnet --info.
The Fix: If you are on an Apple Silicon Mac, ensure you have the Arm64 version of the SDK installed. If the extension specifically requires a version that isn't found, try installing both the x64 and Arm64 versions, as some legacy tools still look for the x64 path.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/1184941/the-sdk-microsoft-net-sdk-specified-could-not-be-f

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/developer/cli/introduction?tabs=windows

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Valantis 5,197 on at

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Hi @powerdevkris,

i think this might help you get PAC CLI working on macOS with VS Code.

The current Power Platform CLI requires .NET 10 (not the older .NET 6 mentioned in outdated guides).
try this:

1. Check your .NET SDK

Run in Terminal:

dotnet --list-sdks

You need a 10.0.x SDK. If you don't have it, install the latest .NET SDK for macOS: https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/core/install/macos

Also check if a local global.json file is forcing an older SDK:

dotnet --info

If it shows 6.x/7.x/8.x, update or remove that global.json file.

2. Install PAC CLI

Install:

dotnet tool install --global Microsoft.PowerApps.CLI.Tool

Or update:

dotnet tool update --global Microsoft.PowerApps.CLI.Tool

Check if it's on your PATH:

which pac

If nothing shows up, add this to your ~/.zshrc:

export PATH="$HOME/.dotnet/tools:$PATH"

Then restart Terminal.

3. Test it

pac --version

You should see the version banner. If you get "DotnetToolSettings.xml missing," it's a .NET version mismatch - make sure .NET 10 is installed and no global.json is selecting an older SDK.

Alternative options:

Install via Power Platform Tools extension for VS Code (recommended): https://learn.microsoft.com/power-platform/developer/howto/install-vs-code-extension

Run PAC without installing using dnx (if .NET 10 is installed):
dnx Microsoft.PowerApps.CLI.Tool --yes help

Best regards,

Valantis

✅ If this helped solve your issue, please Accept as Solution so others can find it quickly.

❤️ If it didn’t fully solve it but was still useful, please click “Yes” on “Was this reply helpful?” or leave a Like :).

🏷️ For follow-ups @Valantis.

📝 https://valantisond365.com/

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DP_Prabh 361 on at

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Hi @powerdevkris,

Quick fix steps (macOS + VS Code + PAC CLI):

Install .NET 6 SDK (required)

brew install --cask dotnet-sdk@6

Verify installation

dotnet --version dotnet --list-sdks

You should see something like 6.0.xxx.

Install Power Platform CLI

dotnet tool install --global Microsoft.PowerApps.CLI.Tool

Ensure global tools path exists

echo 'export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.dotnet/tools"' >> ~/.zshrc source ~/.zshrc

Test PAC CLI

pac --version

If it prints a version → installation succeeded.

Common issue: .NET installed but PAC not found → PATH missing ~/.dotnet/tools.
I hope this helps!

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