System Requirements for Flutter

Before you start building beautiful cross-platform apps with Flutter, you need to make sure your system is ready. Flutter is powerful and flexible, but like every development toolkit, it has some system requirements to run smoothly. Whether you are using Windows, macOS, or Linux, ensuring that your environment meets the minimum requirements will save you a lot of time and frustration during installation and setup.

In this detailed guide, we will cover:

• General hardware requirements for Flutter
• Operating system requirements for Windows, Mac, and Linux
• Software dependencies (IDEs, SDKs, emulators)
• Disk space, memory, and CPU needs
• Step-by-step preparation for each OS
• Common pitfalls and troubleshooting tips
• Recommendations for optimal setup

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General Hardware Requirements

No matter which operating system you use, your computer should meet some baseline requirements:

• Processor (CPU): Intel/AMD processor (64-bit preferred). Multi-core strongly recommended.
• RAM (Memory): Minimum 4 GB (8 GB or more recommended for smooth emulation).
• Disk Space: At least 10 GB of free space (20–25 GB if you plan to install Android Studio and multiple emulators).
• Graphics Card: Required for hardware-accelerated emulators. Intel HD, AMD, or NVIDIA with updated drivers.
• Internet Connection: Stable internet to download Flutter SDK, dependencies, and packages.

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System Requirements – Windows

Supported Versions

• Windows 10 (64-bit) or later.
• Older versions like Windows 7 or 8 are not officially supported.

Disk and Memory

• Disk Space: 1.64 GB for Flutter SDK (excluding IDEs and tools).
• Memory: 4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended for emulators.

Required Tools

1. PowerShell 5.0 or newer (comes preinstalled in Windows 10).
2. Git for Windows – Must be in your system PATH.
3. Android Studio or Visual Studio Code – For coding and emulation.
4. Java JDK (required if using Android Studio).

Emulator/Device Requirements

• Android Emulator: Needs Intel HAXM or Hyper-V enabled.
• Physical Devices: USB debugging enabled and drivers installed.

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System Requirements – macOS

Supported Versions

• macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later.
• Apple Silicon (M1/M2 chips) and Intel Macs are both supported.

Disk and Memory

• Disk Space: 2.8 GB for Flutter SDK and Xcode tools.
• Memory: 8 GB recommended for iOS Simulator and Android Emulator.

Required Tools

1. Xcode (latest stable version) – Provides iOS SDK and simulator.
2. CocoaPods – Dependency manager for iOS projects.
3. Homebrew (optional but recommended) – For managing packages.
4. Android Studio or VS Code – For Flutter development.

Emulator/Device Requirements

• iOS Simulator (comes with Xcode).
• Android Emulator (requires Android Studio).
• Physical iPhone/iPad – Requires Apple Developer Account for testing.

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System Requirements – Linux

Supported Versions

• Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or newer is officially supported.
• Other modern Linux distributions may work but are not fully tested.

Disk and Memory

• Disk Space: ~600 MB for Flutter SDK.
• Memory: Minimum 4 GB RAM, 8 GB recommended.

Required Tools

1. bash, mkdir, rm, git, curl, unzip – Must be available in your environment.
2. Desktop Environment – Required for running emulators.
3. Android Studio or VS Code – For development.
4. Java JDK – Required for Android builds.

Emulator/Device Requirements

• Android Emulator (requires KVM for performance).
• Physical Android Device – Can be connected via USB debugging.

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Software Dependencies

Regardless of OS, you’ll need:

• Flutter SDK – Core toolkit for building apps.
• Dart SDK – Bundled with Flutter.
• IDE (Integrated Development Environment):
  • Visual Studio Code – Lightweight, fast, with Flutter extensions.
  • Android Studio – Full-fledged IDE with built-in emulators and tools.
• Device/Emulator: For testing apps.

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Recommendations for Smooth Setup

• Use SSD storage instead of HDD for faster build and emulator performance.
• Allocate 4–6 GB RAM to emulators for smoother operation.
• Keep your system and drivers updated.
• Use physical devices for more accurate testing (especially on macOS for iOS apps).
• Install Flutter stable channel unless you specifically need beta or dev features.

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Common Pitfalls and Fixes

• Issue: Flutter not recognized in terminal.
  • Fix: Add Flutter SDK bin folder to system PATH.
• Issue: Emulator too slow.
  • Fix: Enable hardware acceleration (Intel HAXM, Hyper-V, or KVM).
• Issue: CocoaPods errors on macOS.
  • Fix: Run sudo gem install cocoapods or use Homebrew.
• Issue: Missing Android licenses.
  • Fix: Run flutter doctor --android-licenses.