STM32 — macOS Setup

Install STM32CubeIDE on macOS. The process is straightforward — download, install, and connect your NUCLEO board.

Prerequisites

• macOS 12 Monterey or later (Intel or Apple Silicon with Rosetta 2)
• A free st.com account
• At least 4 GB of free disk space

Step 1 — Install Rosetta 2 (Apple Silicon Only)

If you're on an M1/M2/M3/M4 Mac, install Rosetta 2 first:

softwareupdate --install-rosetta --agree-to-license

Step 2 — Download STM32CubeIDE

1. Go to st.com/en/development-tools/stm32cubeide.html
2. Click Get Software and log in with your ST account
3. Download "STM32CubeIDE-Mac" (the .dmg file)

Step 3 — Install STM32CubeIDE

1. Open the downloaded .dmg file
2. Drag STM32CubeIDE to the Applications folder
3. Eject the disk image

First launch — Gatekeeper bypass:

macOS may block the app because it's not from the App Store:

1. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security
2. Scroll to the bottom — you'll see a message about STM32CubeIDE being blocked
3. Click "Open Anyway"
4. Confirm by clicking Open in the popup

Step 4 — Install Java (if needed)

STM32CubeIDE bundles its own JRE. If you see a Java error on first launch:

# Install Temurin JDK via Homebrew as a fallback
brew install --cask temurin

Step 5 — Launch and Configure

1. Open STM32CubeIDE from Applications
2. Choose a workspace directory (e.g., /Users/<you>/STM32CubeIDE/workspace)
3. Click Launch

Step 6 — Connect Your NUCLEO Board

1. Connect your NUCLEO board via USB
2. Open System Information (Apple menu → About This Mac → System Report → USB)
3. Look for "STM32 STLink" — it should appear in the USB device list

In STM32CubeIDE, go to Help → ST-LINK Upgrade — your board's firmware version should appear.

Step 7 — Create a Blink Project

1. File → New → STM32 Project
2. In the Board Selector, search for your board (e.g., NUCLEO-F446RE)
3. Select it and click Next
4. Name: hello_blink, Language: C
5. Click Finish — CubeMX opens with the board configuration

Add blink code in Core/Src/main.c inside the while(1) loop:

1while (1)
2{
3    HAL_GPIO_TogglePin(GPIOA, GPIO_PIN_5); // Onboard LED (LD2)
4    HAL_Delay(500);                         // 500ms delay
5}

Build with Cmd+B, then press F11 to flash and debug.

Step 8 — Serial Terminal on macOS

NUCLEO boards appear as a virtual COM port on macOS:

# Find the ST-LINK virtual COM port
ls /dev/cu.*
# Expected: /dev/cu.usbmodem14203 or similar

# Open with screen (built-in)
screen /dev/cu.usbmodem14203 115200

# Exit screen: Ctrl+A then K then Y

Or use the Serial Monitor extension in VS Code.

Troubleshooting

STM32CubeIDE shows "damaged and cannot be opened"

Run this in Terminal to remove the quarantine flag:

xattr -cr /Applications/STM32CubeIDE.app

Then try opening again.

NUCLEO not detected after connecting

• Check System Information → USB for the device
• Try a different USB cable (some USB-C hubs have compatibility issues with ST-LINK)
• Try connecting directly to the Mac's USB-A port or use a powered hub

"Unable to launch the debugger" error

This is usually a permissions issue. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Developer Tools and add STM32CubeIDE to the list.

Next Steps

• Raspberry Pi SBC →
• MicroPython →