If you're a developer who has worked with Linux, you may have encountered the error message "program 'make' not found in path" while trying to compile code from source. This error can be frustrating, but fortunately, it's usually easy to fix. In this guide, we'll show you how to troubleshoot and resolve this issue.
What Causes the Error?
This error occurs when the "make" command is not found in the system's PATH environment variable. The PATH variable is a list of directories where the operating system looks for executable files. When you run a command, the system searches for the command in each of the directories listed in the PATH variable until it finds the executable.
How to Fix the Error
To fix the error, you need to add the directory containing the "make" executable to the PATH variable. Follow these steps:
Open a terminal window.
Type the following command to find the location of the "make" executable:
which make
This will output the path to the "make" executable, such as "/usr/bin/make".
Open your system's shell configuration file. This file is typically located at "/.bashrc" or "/.bash_profile".
Add the following line to the file, replacing "/usr/bin" with the path to the directory containing the "make" executable:
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin
This command adds the specified directory to the PATH variable.
Save the file and close it.
Reopen your terminal window or run the following command to apply the changes to the current session:
source ~/.bashrc
This command reloads the shell configuration file.
Try running the "make" command again. It should now work without the error message.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is the "make" command?
A1. The "make" command is a tool used to build executable files from source code. It reads a "Makefile" that specifies how to compile the code and generates the executable.
Q2. Why is the "make" command not found?
A2. The "make" command may not be found if it is not installed on the system or if its location is not in the PATH variable.
Q3. What if the "make" command is not installed on the system?
A3. You can install the "make" command using your system's package manager. For example, on Ubuntu, you can run the following command:
sudo apt-get install make
Q4. What if I don't know the location of the "make" executable?
A4. You can use the "find" command to search for the "make" executable. For example, run the following command:
sudo find / -name make
This command will search the entire file system for the "make" executable.
Q5. What if I want to add multiple directories to the PATH variable?
A5. You can separate multiple directories with a colon ":". For example, to add "/usr/local/bin" and "/opt/bin" to the PATH variable, use the following command:
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin:/opt/bin