Platform Mac is not a valid platform to build. Compile failed

I’m having some trouble with making my first project, here’s the error, could someone explain me what to do in this situation please. Btw, when I click open with Xcode, it opens an Xcode file and nothing happens to the unreal editor (which is just in the project selection menu)
Screen Shot 2022-06-29 at 6.07.31 PM

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It would be important to know what steps you took to create this C++ project. Was it created by Launching from the Epic Launcher, selecting a template and selecting to make it a C++ project. It sounds like it might not have been. The Platform Mac should all have been automatically generated.

Thanks for replying, yes it was created by launching the epic launcher. I selected blank template and chose C++ with no starter content. I know that these factors might influence how the project is compilying, I’m using Xcode beta 14.2 which is only 24gb compared to the full 14 version) so this might be it but the thing is that my storage space is very limited on my mac I’m running unreal on and usb hdd (exfat format (case insensitive)) so can’t use the full version of xcode I don’t know if these informations will help you solve this problem but thanks anyways for trying.

That is a different configuration than I’m used to. Having the project on a external drive and not native formatting could be trouble. The beta XCode might be problematic too. I’m using 13.4 and it works well (didn’t realize a new XCode was out, my app store shows 13.4.1 as the next production upgrade). I would imagine that Unreal has not qualified on a beta so that would be a red flag.

Sorry I can’t be more help but it looks like something is keeping it from creating your XCode project. Mac’s work fine with UE4 and 5 as long as you don’t deviate too much from a stable configuration. Hopefully someone else can tell you if they are successfully running XCode 14 beta. In my experience of the last 6 or 7 years, I’ve normally seen that new XCode’s do not work out of the box with UE. I wait a long time before moving to a new XCode.

A solution for the XCode issue would be to use VS Code for your IDE. There are docs on how to install it but it’s not for the feint of heart. I did it once when a version of XCode had some issues. I think it took up less space too which sounds like you’d benefit from that. It’s not my first choice.

In the meantime, I’ll test our project on another machine tomorrow that uses a large external SSD (though it’s macOS Journaled so no such test would be definitive). I don’t think we’ve tried to run from it, it’s mostly just to have extra space for the modeler’s voracious storage appetite.

I also might mention that I spoke with someone two days ago on here with 8GB memory, it was a no-go for him (so hopefully you have more than that) though I wasn’t able to personally see the config.

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Thanks again, but i was wondering, from your opinion can or should I use VS code instead of Xcode because from what I remember the stable version of VS code is smaller than the stable version of Xcode and maybe it would be less pain for me to configure. Also I was wondering did the person you talked with actually have a 8gb drive or 8gb of available storage space because if he only has an 8gb drive, he must be on a raspberry pi right now so that he could even text you.

Sorry, I should have been more specific, 8GB of RAM.

Yes, VS Code might be better for you. See if you can find the instructions on the net. I’ll look in the morning. It was involved.

I’ve installed VS code and changed the source code to VS code in unreal editor preferences and it asked me to restart unreal so I did but now when I open it again it tells me that it can’t find the Xcode metal compiler then proceeds to quit unreal. What is this I’ve changed it to VS code why does it still need Xcode?

It may mean that it still needs XCode for the Metal stuff. That kinda makes sense I suppose, since VSCode would not know anything about the Metal Libraries. I wouldn’t have noticed that because I still had a viable copy of XCode (which probably worked invisibly in the background of the build). Almost sounds like you may need to put in a 13.4.1 production XCode to get around this.

I would guess where you are now is you have the ability to edit and compile your C++ code, but not to actually complete the process without XCode under the hood to build what UE needs of Metal. Meaning you can’t finalize and load your project. Still in the same boat then.

Really sorry I’m not more help. The Metal stuff is so much magic to me.

One thought just occurred to me. Did you refresh the code project after installing VSCode and switching the IDE in preferences. It’s a long shot, but I thought I’d mention it.

I’m sorry but this is a little complicated for me, I’m still new to unreal. First, I’m pretty sure that I did the wrong thing : I deleted the project when I saw the error since it led me to nowhere. I also don’t know what you are talking about when you say IDE.

Sorry if I mess it up.

Sorry, my bad, one should never use acronyms/initials without defining them, an IDE is like XCode or VSCode, it stands for Integrated Development Environment.

All I was referring to is regenerating the project code configuration by using either Tools->Refresh Code Project or right clicking on the uproject file and doing the same. If you’ve deleted everything then that’s not meaningful anyway.

If I were in the situation, I’d probably clean up my main drive/ssd till I had enough space, then reinstall Launcher, Unreal 5, and non-beta XCode (13.4.1 right now). This will probably work if it’s all in the way Epic expects it to be set up. Having to work around storage limitations can mean creating a non-standard environment that Epic never planned for.

You’re not alone, it’s a little complicated for everyone. Once you get it working, then you get a few months development time without the confusing setup stuff rearing its head. Then a new OS, UE, or IDE comes up and you go back into the head scratching for a few days.

Thanks a lot, I’ll try what you mentioned. Anyway I’ll probably get a Windows Pc which should help in term of performance and storage with unreal.

Hey all - wanted to circle around and let you all know we’ve released a QFE for build issues on Mac with Xcode 14.

Get the details here: Current Available Quick-Fix Solutions

Just encountered this issue. I was on XCode 13.4.1 and Mac OS Monterey 12.3. Upgraded to XCode 14.2 and Mac OS Ventura 13.2.1 and the issue was no longer present.

Note that I also ran the QFE provided by unreal (above) before I did the upgrades, so it may have been a necessary step in fixing the issue.

Hi, ive tried to install the QFE but it shows this:


Any Solution??

Same here. Unreal 5.0.3 with Xcode 15.2. MacOS 13.5. Unable to generate project and got " Platform Mac is not a valid platform to build". Then turned to QFE http://cdn.unrealengine.com/qfe/QFE-5.0-Xcode14Support-CL-22337428-PF-22380667-Job-cbd57f.zip but when launching it, it says “UnrealQFEInstaller 2.app” is damaged and can’t be opened. You should move it to the Bin.

Unable to do anything if you open up the xcworkspace in Xcode 15.2. Also generate project doesn’t do anything.