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.

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.

2025-08-09 Writing to confirm brew install okular still produces KF5I18n errors. The binary download link works.

Printing from Okular's 2025-08-04 MacOS build okular-master-6606-macos-clang-arm64.dmg works from my Mac running OS Sequoia 15.6 using an old Brother MFC laser printer and Brother's terribly antiquated software. Printing is extremely slow but it works.

Thanks y'all.