Xxd Command Not Found May 2026

How to fix “xxd: command not found” (quick guide)

xxd is a small utility that creates a hex dump of a file or can convert a hex dump back to binary. If you see “xxd: command not found” it means your system doesn’t have it installed or it’s not in your PATH. Here’s how to resolve that across common platforms.

3. Restart your terminal

Sometimes a fresh session solves path issues. xxd command not found

Solution C: Alternative Tools

If installing Vim is not an option, use alternative tools for hex dumping: How to fix “xxd: command not found” (quick

  1. hexdump (often pre-installed): 
    hexdump -C filename
  2. od (Octal Dump - standard on almost all Unix systems): 
    od -A x -t x1z filename

1. Check if it’s installed but not in PATH

Use find or whereis:

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: hexdump (often pre-installed): hexdump -C filename

export PATH=$PATH:/opt/homebrew/bin

To make permanent, add that line to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc.

CentOS/RHEL 7+ (with EPEL repository)

sudo yum install vim-common