How to Install and Run AUTOMATIC1111 on Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you’re looking to explore the full potential of Stable Diffusion on your Mac, AUTOMATIC1111 is the advanced graphical user interface (GUI) you need. While simpler options like DiffusionBee offer an easy installation process, they come with limited functionality. AUTOMATIC1111, on the other hand, provides a more advanced interface, making it a great choice for users who want to unlock the full potential of Stable Diffusion.

This guide will take you through the installation process for AUTOMATIC1111 on your Mac step-by-step.

System Requirements

Before diving into the installation, ensure that your system meets the following requirements:

• Apple Silicon M1 or M2 with at least 8GB of RAM.
• macOS 12.3 or later. You can check your macOS version by clicking the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen and selecting “About This Mac.” Update your OS if needed before proceeding.

Step 1: Install Homebrew

Homebrew is a package manager that simplifies the installation of software on macOS. Follow these steps to install Homebrew if you haven’t done so already:

1. Open the Terminal app.
2. Run the following command:

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Once the installation is complete, you may need to add Homebrew to your system’s path. Follow the on-screen instructions, which will look something like this:

echo 'eval $(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)' >> /Users/$USER/.zprofile
eval $(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)

After running the above commands, Homebrew should be properly installed. Test it by typing brew in the Terminal. If it shows a usage example, the installation was successful.

Step 2: Install Required Packages

Next, you’ll need to install a few essential packages, including Python, Git, and Wget.

1. Open a new Terminal window.
2. Run the following command to install the required packages:

   brew install python@3.10 git wget

Step 3: Clone the AUTOMATIC1111 Repository

Now that you have the necessary packages installed, it’s time to download the AUTOMATIC1111 repository.

1. Run the following command in the Terminal to clone the web UI repository:

   git clone https://github.com/AUTOMATIC1111/stable-diffusion-webui

After running this command, a new folder named stable-diffusion-webui will be created in your home directory.

Running AUTOMATIC1111 on Mac

Once the repository is cloned, follow these steps to start AUTOMATIC1111 for Stable Diffusion:

1. In the Terminal, navigate to the stable-diffusion-webui directory and run the webui.sh script:

   cd ~/stable-diffusion-webui
   ./webui.sh

On the first run, this script will install various dependencies and download the necessary model checkpoints. This process might take a while, so be patient.

2. Once the installation is complete, you will see a message like “Running on local URL…”. This indicates that the web UI has been successfully launched.
3. If the web page doesn’t open automatically, you can manually open a browser and navigate to the following URL to access the AUTOMATIC1111 interface:

   http://127.0.0.1:7860/

Testing the GUI

Once the web interface is up and running, you can test it by generating your first image:

1. Enter a prompt in the input field, for example, “a cat”.
2. Press Generate to create your image.

Closing and Restarting AUTOMATIC1111

When you’re done using Stable Diffusion, simply close the Terminal window. The next time you want to run AUTOMATIC1111, repeat the command:

cd ~/stable-diffusion-webui
./webui.sh

This will relaunch the GUI, and you can continue generating images.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can install and run AUTOMATIC1111 on your Mac, unlocking advanced functionality for your Stable Diffusion projects. Whether you’re generating artwork or experimenting with AI models, AUTOMATIC1111 provides a powerful interface for all your creative needs.