How to Compile Qt for Mac on Linux

Compiling Qt for Mac on Linux can be a complex and time-consuming process, but it's essential if you want to ensure your application runs smoothly on the latest macOS releases. In this tutorial, we'll guide you through the steps of compiling Qt 5.15 LTS for Mac using a Linux machine.

Before we begin, it's worth noting that the latest releases of Qt 5.15 are not available as Open Source immediately anymore, due to a one-year delay. However, KDE provides patches for the Qt 5.15 branch, making it possible to build your own version of Qt.

To start compiling Qt, you'll need to install the required development packages for X11 and/or Wayland support. This will depend on which features you want to include in your compiled Qt version. You can refer to the Optional Features table below for more information.

Once you have installed the necessary packages, you can begin building Qt 5.15 LTS. This version uses the eglfs interface by default, which means that applications will run in fullscreen mode. If you're used to working with older versions of Qt, this may take some getting used to.

It's worth noting that the Bullseye release of Raspberry Pi OS comes with Qt 5.15 in its repositories and will work fine under X11. However, it does not support running without X11 like some other versions of Qt do. If you're looking for a version of Qt that can run on your Raspberry Pi without X11, you'll need to build it yourself.

Raspberry Pi OS (also known as Raspbian), which is based on Debian Buster, comes with an old version of Qt 5.11 that is already outdated. To get the latest version of Qt with board-specific features enabled for running on your Raspberry Pi, you'll need to compile it yourself.

In this tutorial, we'll be using a Debian Buster-based system, but the steps should be applicable to other Linux distributions as well. Before you begin, make sure you have all the necessary dependencies installed and that your system is up-to-date.

To get started, you can use the following command to download and extract the Qt source code:

```

wget https://download.qt.io/official_releases/qt/5.15/5.15.2/qt-opensource-linux-x64-5.15.2.run

chmod +x qt-opensource-linux-x64-5.15.2.run

./qt-opensource-linux-x64-5.15.2.run

```

Once you've extracted the source code, you can configure Qt for compilation using the following command:

```

cd qt-everywhere-src-5.15.2/

./configure -release -nomake tests -nomake examples -prefix /opt/Qt/5.15

make

make install

```

This will build and install Qt 5.15 LTS on your system, using the eglfs interface by default.

In conclusion, compiling Qt for Mac on Linux can be a complex process, but it's essential if you want to ensure your application runs smoothly on the latest macOS releases. By following these steps, you should be able to compile Qt 5.15 LTS and get started with developing your own applications using this powerful toolkit.

How to compile qt for mac on linux