How to Fix “Command Not Found” Errors: A Quick 5-Minute PATH Guide for macOS, Windows, and Linux

Here’s a fast, no-fluff playbook you can follow any time you hit “command not found” or a PATH problem.

Skim the guide top-to-bottom once, then jump to your OS section.

1) Confirm what actually failed

• Exact error? Copy it. Common: command not found, ‘tool’ is not recognized…, No such file or directory.
• Which shell? macOS (zsh), Linux (bash/zsh), Windows (PowerShell vs CMD). This matters for how you fix PATH.

2) Did you install the tool?

• If not installed, install first (examples at the end for Python/Node/Java/Git).
• If installed, your PATH isn’t pointing to it.

3) Find the tool on disk