MacOS 10.13.6安装Erlang/OTP报错：Error: erlang: no bottle available!

Hey there, I’ve dealt with this exact error when trying to install Erlang on macOS High Sierra (10.13.6)—let’s go through the practical fixes that got it working for me.

Possible Solutions #

1. Install Erlang from source #

Since Homebrew doesn’t provide precompiled bottles for macOS 10.13.6 anymore, you can build Erlang directly from its source code. This will take a bit longer (depending on your hardware), but it’s reliable:

brew install --build-from-source erlang

Just let the process run—Homebrew will handle downloading the source, resolving dependencies, and compiling everything locally.

2. Install an older Erlang version compatible with High Sierra #

Newer Erlang releases (25 and above) drop support for macOS 10.13. The last major series that works with High Sierra is Erlang 24. You can install this specific version using Homebrew’s versioned formula:

brew install erlang@24

After installation, you’ll need to add this version to your PATH to make it the default in your terminal. Depending on your shell:

• For Bash:

  echo 'export PATH="/usr/local/opt/erlang@24/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bash_profile
  source ~/.bash_profile
  

• For Zsh:

  echo 'export PATH="/usr/local/opt/erlang@24/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
  source ~/.zshrc
  

Verify it worked with erl -v—it should show an Erlang 24.x version.

3. Verify your Homebrew setup (optional) #

Since macOS 10.13 is no longer supported by the latest Homebrew, make sure your installation is still functional. Run these commands to update and check for issues:

brew update
brew doctor

If brew update throws errors about unsupported macOS versions, you might need to pin Homebrew to an older commit that still supports High Sierra, but this is more advanced. The first two solutions are usually sufficient for most cases.

Why this error happens #

Homebrew uses bottles (precompiled binary packages) to speed up installations. As macOS versions get older, Homebrew stops maintaining bottles for them to focus on supported systems. Erlang’s official builds also dropped support for macOS 10.13 starting with version 25, which is why you see this error when trying to install the latest Erlang.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Mohan Krishnan