Homebrew: How do you specify a version using brew cask?

How do I specify a version number when installing something with brew cask install?

2 Answers

Sometimes the Jethro instruction won't work, because we will get an error like: Invalid usage: Non-checksummed download of <FORMULA_NAME> formula file from an arbitrary URL is unsupported.

I found an workaround:

1. Go to the Homebrew Cask search page:
2. Type and find the application you are looking for
3. Click Cask code link
4. On Github click History button
5. Find the version you need by reading the commit messages and view the raw file. Confirm the version variable (normally on line 2) is the version you need.
6. Click on the name of the commit, then three dots and select View file
7. Right-click Raw button and Save Link As... to download the file locally
8. When downloaded, go to download directory cd Downloads/
9. Finally run brew install --cask <FORMULA_NAME>.rb
10. Voilà 😄

If you need some visual assistance check the screenshots here.

You can manually point brew at the ruby file for a specific version of a cask, using a git hash. This lets you control which version is installed.

For example:

1. Find the cask .rb file on the homebrew-cask git repo that you want.

2. Get the commit hash, egcee7983cd95fc92fdc250fc509f2379cefe647fe in the example above.

   Git may give you instructions to view the file history locally - eg git clone git log master -- Casks/CASK_NAME.rb

3. Point brew at the file using the hash: brew cask install