Install Xcode

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Goal

You will install Xcode, create a new SwiftUI project, and see the default "Hello, world!" preview render. After this page you will have a working iOS toolchain and an empty project you can build on for the rest of the tier.

Prerequisites

• None. This is the first page of the Beginner tier.

What Xcode is

Xcode is Apple's IDE. It bundles the Swift compiler, the iOS SDK, the iOS Simulator, and an editor with a live SwiftUI preview canvas. You cannot build iOS apps without it, and it only runs on macOS.

Pin: this page targets Xcode 16 on macOS 14 Sonoma or newer. Older Xcode versions will not match the screenshots and may use older SwiftUI APIs.

Install

Install Xcode from the Mac App Store. The download is large (around 10 GB) and takes a while — start it now and read on.

After install, open Xcode once so it can finish setting up command-line tools and accept the license. If it prompts to install additional components, accept.

Verify from a terminal:

xcodebuild -version

Expected output (your patch version may differ):

Xcode 16.0
Build version 16A242d

Create your first project

In Xcode, choose File → New → Project. Pick the iOS tab, then App, then Next.

Fill in:

• Product Name: HelloIOS
• Team: leave as None (no Apple Developer account needed for Simulator runs).
• Organization Identifier: com.example
• Interface: SwiftUI
• Language: Swift
• Storage: None
• Include Tests: unchecked

Click Next, pick a folder, click Create.

Confirm the preview works

Xcode opens with ContentView.swift selected. The default file looks like this:

import SwiftUI

struct ContentView: View {
    var body: some View {
        VStack {
            Image(systemName: "globe")
                .imageScale(.large)
                .foregroundStyle(.tint)
            Text("Hello, world!")
        }
        .padding()
    }
}

#Preview {
    ContentView()
}

On the right side of the editor is the canvas. If it shows "Preview paused", click Resume. After a few seconds you should see a phone-shaped preview with a globe icon and "Hello, world!" underneath.

To run in the Simulator instead of the canvas: pick a simulator from the device dropdown at the top (e.g., iPhone 15) and press Cmd-R. The iOS Simulator launches as a separate app and shows the same screen.

Stop it with Cmd-. (Cmd-period) or the stop button in the Xcode toolbar.

Next → Swift values and variables