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7-Zip can be compiled on macOS for both Intel (x64) and Apple Silicon (arm64) platforms using Clang.

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Requirements

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Xcode Command Line Tools

Install the Xcode Command Line Tools to get the Clang compiler and build tools: 
xcode-select --install
Verify installation: 
clang --version
make --version
You don’t need the full Xcode IDE - just the Command Line Tools are sufficient.

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Quick Start

1

Navigate to Source Directory

cd CPP/7zip/Bundles/Alone2
2

Build for Your Architecture

make -j -f ../../cmpl_mac_arm64.mak
3

Run the Binary

./b/m_arm64/7zz

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Build Configurations

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Apple Silicon (ARM64)

The ARM64 build includes assembler optimizations: 
cd CPP/7zip/Bundles/Alone2
make -j -f ../../cmpl_mac_arm64.mak
Configuration (from var_mac_arm64.mak): 
PLATFORM=arm64
IS_ARM64=1
USE_ASM=1
CC=clang
CXX=clang++
MY_ARCH=-arch arm64
Output: b/m_arm64/7zz

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Intel x64

cd CPP/7zip/Bundles/Alone2
make -j -f ../../cmpl_mac_x64.mak
Configuration (from var_mac_x64.mak): 
PLATFORM=x64
IS_X64=1
CC=clang
CXX=clang++
MY_ARCH=-arch x86_64
Output: b/m_x64/7zz

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Architecture-Specific Details

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Apple Silicon Optimizations

Apple Silicon builds use ARM64 assembler for performance:
Assembler Features:
  • Uses GNU assembler syntax with preprocessor
  • Supported natively by Clang for ARM64
  • Includes optimizations for LZMA decoding
  • Hardware-accelerated cryptography where available
The assembler code is located in: 
Asm/arm64/LzmaDecOpt.S
Asm/arm64/7zAsm.S

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Architecture Variants

You can customize the ARM64 architecture flags in var_mac_arm64.mak: 
# Basic ARM64 support
MY_ARCH=-arch arm64

# With specific features
MY_ARCH=-arch arm64 -march=armv8-a
The default configuration uses -arch arm64 which is compatible with all Apple Silicon processors.

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Build All Targets

Navigate to the main makefile directory and build everything: 
cd CPP/7zip
make -j -f ../../cmpl_mac_arm64.mak  # For Apple Silicon
This builds all UI and Bundle targets.

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Specific Build Targets

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7zz (All Formats)

cd CPP/7zip/Bundles/Alone2
make -j -f ../../cmpl_mac_arm64.mak

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7za (Limited Formats)

cd CPP/7zip/Bundles/Alone
make -j -f ../../cmpl_mac_arm64.mak

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7zr (7z Format Only)

cd CPP/7zip/Bundles/Alone7z
make -j -f ../../cmpl_mac_arm64.mak

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Shared Library

cd CPP/7zip/Bundles/Format7zF
make -j -f ../../cmpl_mac_arm64.mak
Output: 7z.dylib

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Using makefile.gcc

You can also use the generic makefile.gcc for macOS: 
cd CPP/7zip/Bundles/Alone2
make -j -f makefile.gcc
This auto-detects the platform but may not use optimal flags.

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Compiler Flags

macOS builds use Clang-specific warning flags (from warn_clang_mac.mak): 
CFLAGS_WARN = \
  -Werror -Wall -Wextra \
  -Wconversion \
  -Wimplicit-fallthrough
Optimization level: -O2

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Universal Binaries

To create a universal binary (both Intel and ARM64):
1

Build for ARM64

make -j -f ../../cmpl_mac_arm64.mak
cp b/m_arm64/7zz 7zz_arm64
2

Build for x64

make -j -f ../../cmpl_mac_x64.mak
cp b/m_x64/7zz 7zz_x64
3

Combine with lipo

lipo -create 7zz_arm64 7zz_x64 -output 7zz_universal
4

Verify

file 7zz_universal
lipo -info 7zz_universal

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RAR Support Options

Control RAR support at build time:

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Disable All RAR Support

make -j -f ../../cmpl_mac_arm64.mak DISABLE_RAR=1

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Disable RAR Decompression Only

make -j -f ../../cmpl_mac_arm64.mak DISABLE_RAR_COMPRESS=1
RAR decompression codecs have license restrictions. Use DISABLE_RAR_COMPRESS=1 to build a version that can list RAR archives but not decompress them.

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Output Directories

macOS builds output to platform-specific directories:
  • b/m_arm64/ - Apple Silicon builds
  • b/m_x64/ - Intel builds
  • _o/ - Default makefile.gcc builds

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Installation

Install the built binary system-wide: 
sudo cp b/m_arm64/7zz /usr/local/bin/
sudo chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/7zz
Verify: 
7zz --version

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Troubleshooting

You need to install Xcode Command Line Tools:
xcode-select --install
On macOS, pthread is part of the system libraries. Ensure you’re using the macOS-specific makefiles:
make -j -f ../../cmpl_mac_arm64.mak
Make sure you’re using the correct makefile for your Mac:
  • Apple Silicon: cmpl_mac_arm64.mak
  • Intel: cmpl_mac_x64.mak
Check your architecture:
uname -m
# arm64 = Apple Silicon
# x86_64 = Intel
If building shared libraries, ensure they’re in a location where dyld can find them:
export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=$PWD/b/m_arm64:$DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH

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Performance Testing

Benchmark your build: 
./b/m_arm64/7zz b
This runs the built-in benchmark to test compression/decompression performance.

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Differences from p7zip

7-Zip for macOS is the official port from Igor Pavlov, distinct from the older p7zip project:
7-Zip for macOS (this build):
  • Current version (26.00 in this source)
  • Up-to-date with Windows version
  • Official support from 7-Zip developer
p7zip (legacy):
  • Last version: 16.02 (outdated)
  • Independent community port
  • No longer actively maintained

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Next Steps

  • Test archive operations: ./b/m_arm64/7zz --help
  • Create archives: ./b/m_arm64/7zz a archive.7z files/
  • Extract archives: ./b/m_arm64/7zz x archive.7z

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See Also

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