There are multiple ways of setting environment variables on OS X, but the most reliable and supported way is to use a plist file and have system's launchctl service load it at login. This method is described below; for other methods please consult OS X product documentation.
Create a new .plist file. The name doesn't matter, but the extension must be .plist. For example, "SampleVariable.plist".
Save the file in ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ so it is read when when you log in with your specific username.
Paste the following contents into the .plist file you just created:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>Label</key>
<string>Change To Label Of Your Choice</string>
<key>ProgramArguments</key>
<array>
<string>/bin/launchctl</string>
<string>setenv</string>
<string>Variable Name You Want To Set</string>
<string>Variable Value You Want to Set</string>
</array>
<key>RunAtLoad</key>
<true/>
</dict>
</plist>
There are three things you need to change before saving the .plist file: Label, Variable Name, and Variable Value. Make the changes, save the file and reboot(or see alternate method below) your Mac for the changes to take effect.
Please note this sets a user specific variable which will apply only to the user saving this file in their home directory.
Sample .plist file can be downloaded below.
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How the plist works:
This file tells /bin/launchctl to run commands in the next 3 strings below. Setenv is used to set an environment variable in OS X Terminal. Variable name has to be specific to whatever you are trying to set, it cannot be a random name you pick. For example, it can be either MLM_LICENSE_FILE or MATLAB_JAVA. Variable value has to indicate the path or parameter you want to change, such as port@host for MLM_LICENSE_FILE or path to a different version of Java for MATLAB_JAVA.
Alternate method to load the plist into your user account:
Instead of rebooting your computer you can run the following command in Terminal: launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/EnterNameOfYourFileHere.plist
This will load it into the system, but to check for it you will need to close your current Terminal session and open a new one, then run command printenv. You should then see your variable listed.
You can also unload it from the system by either running launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/EnterNameOfYourFileHere.plist or removing it from that directory and restarting your computer.
