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Installing docling on macOS (Intel)

This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough for installing docling on an Intel-based macOS machine. This process addresses potential compatibility issues with PyTorch and other dependencies.

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Prerequisites

  • Homebrew: Ensure you have Homebrew installed on your system. If not, you can install it by following the instructions on the official Homebrew website.
  • Python 3.12 or lower: docling requires a Python version of 3.12 or lower. This guide will assume you have it installed.

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Installation Steps

  1. Create a Dedicated Directory: It’s good practice to create a dedicated directory for your docling projects and virtual environment. You can create a directory in your home folder: 
    mkdir ~/docling
cd ~/docling
  2. Create a Virtual Environment: To avoid conflicts with other Python projects, it’s highly recommended to use a virtual environment. Create a new virtual environment named docling-venv using python3.12: 
    python3.12 -m venv docling-venv
  3. Activate the Virtual Environment: Before installing any packages, you need to activate the virtual environment: 
    source docling-venv/bin/activate
    Your terminal prompt should now be prefixed with (docling-venv), indicating that the virtual environment is active.
  4. Install PyTorch: Install the compatible version of PyTorch (2.2.2) before installing docling. This is a crucial step to avoid compilation errors on Intel-based Macs. 
    pip install torch==2.2.2
  5. Install docling with All Dependencies: Now, you can install docling. We will use the --prefer-binary flag to instruct pip to use pre-compiled packages (wheels) whenever possible, which helps to avoid compilation issues. 
    pip install --prefer-binary docling
  6. Verify the Installation: Once the installation is complete, you can verify that docling is installed correctly by checking its version: 
    docling --version
    You should see the installed version of docling and its components printed to the console.

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Deactivating the Virtual Environment

When you are finished using docling, you can deactivate the virtual environment by running the following command: 
deactivate