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How to Install and Run Ollama on macOS

Ollama is a powerful tool that allows you to run large language models locally on your Mac. This guide will walk you through the steps to install and run Ollama on macOS.


Prerequisites

  • A Mac running macOS 11 Big Sur or later

  • An internet connection to download the necessary files


Step 1: Download Ollama

  1. Visit the Ollama download page1.

  2. Click on the Download for macOS button.

  3. Once the download is complete, locate the .zip file in your ~/Downloads folder.

  4. Double-click the .zip file to extract its contents. This should create Ollama.app.


Step 2: Install Ollama

  1. Drag Ollama.app to your Applications folder.

  2. Open the Applications folder and double-click on Ollama.app.

  3. If you see a warning, click Open to proceed.

  4. Follow the setup wizard to complete the installation. The wizard will prompt you to install the command line version (ollama).


Step 3: Running a Model

  1. Open the Terminal application.

  2. To run the Llama 3 model, type the following command and press Enter:ollama run llama3

  3. The first time you run this command, it will download the latest version of the model. This may take some time depending on your internet speed.


Step 4: Interacting with the Model

  1. Once the model is downloaded, you will see a prompt like this:>>> Send a message (/? for help)

  2. Start chatting with the model by typing your messages at the prompt.


Step 5: Getting Help

  • To get help at the prompt, type /? and press Enter.

  • To get help from the command line interface, simply run the command without any arguments:ollama


Step 6: Managing Models

  • To see a list of currently installed models, run:ollama list

  • To remove a model and free up disk space, run:ollama rm llama3


Conclusion

By following these steps, you should be able to install and run Ollama on your Mac, allowing you to leverage the power of large language models locally.

 

           

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