Homebrew link and unlink

In Homebrew, link and unlink control whether a package’s files are symlinked into your main Homebrew prefix (so they’re available on your PATH).

🔗 brew link

Creates symlinks for a package into /usr/local (Intel) or /opt/homebrew (Apple Silicon), making it the active version.

brew link <formula>

Common uses:

• Activate a specific version after installing multiple versions
• Fix “command not found” after install

Example:

brew link python@3.11

🔓 brew unlink

Removes those symlinks, effectively deactivating the package (without uninstalling it).

brew unlink <formula>

Common uses:

• Avoid conflicts between versions
• Temporarily disable a tool

Example:

brew unlink python@3.11

⚖️ Switching between versions

A typical workflow:

brew unlink python@3.12
brew link python@3.11

⚠️ Helpful flags

• Force linking even if conflicts exist:

  brew link --force <formula>
  

• Overwrite conflicting files:

  brew link --overwrite <formula>
  

🧠 Quick mental model

• install = download files
• link = make them usable
• unlink = hide them (but keep installed)