zsh: command not found: xxd Don’t worry. This error is common, easy to fix, and once resolved, xxd becomes one of the most powerful tools in your command-line arsenal. In this article, we’ll explore what xxd is, why it’s missing, how to install it across different operating systems, and how to verify your installation. xxd is a command-line utility that creates a hexadecimal representation (hex dump) of a given file or standard input. It can also do the reverse: convert a hex dump back into the original binary format.
# Example for Linux x86_64 wget https://github.com/vim/vim/raw/master/src/xxd/xxd.c gcc -o xxd xxd.c ./xxd file.bin Compiling from source requires a C compiler ( gcc or clang ). When writing scripts that rely on xxd , always check for its presence: xxd command not found
xxd -i image.png > image_data.c Now image_data.c contains unsigned char image_png[] with the data. diff <(xxd file1.bin) <(xxd file2.bin) Alternatives to xxd If you cannot install xxd for some reason, consider these alternatives: zsh: command not found: xxd Don’t worry
Example using hexdump in a pinch:
vim --version If not, install vim inside Git Bash’s environment. Install a Linux distribution (e.g., Ubuntu) from Microsoft Store, then follow the Linux instructions above. Inside WSL, xxd will work as expected. Option 3: Chocolatey Using an administrative PowerShell: xxd is a command-line utility that creates a
xxd binary > binary.hex # Edit binary.hex with a text editor xxd -r binary.hex binary Generate a C array from any binary:
whereis xxd # or find /usr -name xxd 2>/dev/null On macOS with Homebrew, xxd is often in /usr/local/bin/xxd or /opt/homebrew/bin/xxd (Apple Silicon). Add that directory to your PATH :