Unable to revert default shell from zsh to bash in macOS/Catalina: "chsh: no changes made"

I have a new catalina system and need compatibility with traditional linux. bash is a must. Following various references I did

 chsh -s /bin/bash

But not too happy:

(base) 19:44:28// $chsh -s /bin/bash
Changing shell for steve.
Password for steve:
chsh: no changes made

Why did that not work?

2 Answers

Not sure why that approach didn't work, but I've never used that method myself. Try the Mac-way of doing it. Full details at , but basically go to System Preferences -> Accounts, unlock, ctrl-click on your acct name (Advanced Options), and change the shell!

2

The chsh command actually works fine. It overrides the setting in System Preferences... Users & Groups... [unlock, right-click user] Advanced Options. You can check that it has changed the default shell with a command like

echo $SHELL

and you can see what shell you're actually in with

echo $0

If there is still a difference between the two, it's probably due to the settings of your terminal program. For example, in the default Terminal, in Preferences... General, there's a setting for Shells open with that could be the reason you're still being dropped in an unwanted shell.

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