Apple M1 Mac通过Homebrew升级PHP及路径配置问题咨询

Hey there, let's break down how to get this sorted out—you're already halfway there with Homebrew and php@7.4 installed!

First, why does brew upgrade php throw an error? #

Homebrew has two types of PHP formulas:

• The generic php formula (points to the latest stable PHP version)
• Version-specific formulas like php@7.4 (for older supported versions)

You installed php@7.4, not the generic php package, so running brew upgrade php will fail with "Error: php not installed". To upgrade your existing PHP 7.4, use this command instead:

brew upgrade php@7.4

Next, prioritize Homebrew's PHP over macOS's built-in version #

Since you're using ZSH (the default shell on modern macOS), you only need to edit your .zshrc file—no need to touch .bash_profile at all. Here's how to set up the PATH correctly:

1. Open your .zshrc file in a text editor. For ease, use:

open -e ~/.zshrc

(Or use nano ~/.zshrc if you prefer the terminal-based editor.)

2. Add these lines to the end of the file. This ensures Homebrew's PHP binaries are checked before macOS's built-in ones:

# Prioritize Homebrew's PHP 7.4 over system PHP
export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/php@7.4/bin:$PATH"
export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/php@7.4/sbin:$PATH"

(Note: /opt/homebrew is the correct path for M1/M2 Macs—Intel Macs use /usr/local instead, but since you're on M1, this path is right.)

3. Optional: If you use tools that need PHP's libraries (like compiling extensions), add these lines too:

export LDFLAGS="-L/opt/homebrew/opt/php@7.4/lib"
export CPPFLAGS="-I/opt/homebrew/opt/php@7.4/include"

4. Save and close the file. Then apply the changes immediately in your current terminal session:

source ~/.zshrc

5. Verify it worked by checking your PHP version:

php -v

You should now see PHP 7.4.x instead of the system's 7.3.22.

Bonus: Upgrading to a newer PHP version later #

If you decide to switch to a newer stable PHP version (like 8.2) down the line, just run:

brew install php

Then update the PATH lines in your .zshrc to point to /opt/homebrew/opt/php/bin and /opt/homebrew/opt/php/sbin instead of the php@7.4 paths.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者eskimo