CMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET

Specify the minimum version of the target platform, e.g., macOS or iOS, on which the target binaries are to be deployed.

For builds targeting macOS (:variable:CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME is Darwin), if CMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET is not explicitly set, a default is set:

If the MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET environment variable is non-empty, its value is the default.
Otherwise, if using the :generator:Xcode generator, and the host's macOS version is older than the macOS SDK (:variable:CMAKE_OSX_SYSROOT, if set, or Xcode's default SDK), the host's macOS version is the default.

.. versionchanged:: 4.0

Previously this was done for all generators, not just Xcode.
Otherwise, the default is empty.

The effects of CMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET depend on the generator:

:generator:Xcode

If CMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET is set to a non-empty value, it is added to the generated Xcode project as the MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET setting. Otherwise, no such setting is added, so Xcode's default deployed target is used, typically based on the SDK version.

Other Generators

If CMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET is set to a non-empty value, it is passed to the compiler via the -mmacosx-version-min flag or equivalent. Otherwise, no such flag is added, so the compiler's default deployment target is used.

.. include:: include/CMAKE_OSX_VARIABLE.rst