Fixing “Package Control: Install Package” Missing in Sublime Text 4200 on macOS

If you just installed Sublime Text (build 4200) on a Mac and can’t find “Install Package Control…” anywhere in the Tools menu — and the Command Palette shows nothing related to Package Control — you’re not missing a step. You’ve hit a known compatibility bug between Package Control 3.4.1 and modern macOS. Here’s exactly what’s broken and how to fix it.

The Symptom

• No “Install Package Control…” option under Tools in the menu bar
• No “Package Control” submenu anywhere
• Cmd+Shift+P → typing "Install Package" shows nothing in the Command Palette
• Restarting Sublime, restarting the machine — none of it helps

The Root Cause

Sublime Text build 4200 ships with Package Control 3.4.1. This version depends on macOS’s system OpenSSL library to handle secure downloads. Recent versions of macOS no longer ship the OpenSSL 1.1.1 symbols that 3.4.1 expects, so the package crashes silently on load — before it ever gets the chance to register its menu items or Command Palette entries. From the outside, it just looks like Package Control was never installed at all.

How to Confirm This Is Your Issue

Open the Sublime console (View → Show Console, or Ctrl+`) and restart Sublime Text. Look for this in the output:

AttributeError: dlsym(0x42183d10, EVP_PKEY_size): symbol not found
...
Package Control.package_control.deps.oscrypto._ffi.FFIEngineError: Error initializing ctypes

If you see this, you have the exact same issue.

Fixes That Will NOT Work

Switching Sublime Text builds. The build itself isn’t broken — the issue is one corrupted/incompatible package file (Package Control.sublime-package). Changing builds doesn't replace that file, so the same crash follows you.

Installing openssl@1.1 via Homebrew. This was the standard fix for years, but Homebrew has since removed the openssl@1.1 formula entirely (it's end-of-life upstream). Running brew install openssl@1.1 now just returns:

Warning: No available formula with the name "openssl@1.1".

Replacing the file with the same download link repeatedly. If you grab the file from the standard packagecontrol.io manual-install link, it auto-detects your Sublime Text build and will keep serving you the same broken 3.4.1 release. Re-downloading from that link changes nothing.

The Actual Fix

Package Control 4.x removed the dependency that’s causing the crash, so the real fix is to manually install a 4.x build instead of letting anything auto-select 3.4.1.

Step 1: Open Sublime Text’s console

Go to View → Show Console (or press Ctrl+`).

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Step 2: Paste this command and press Enter

import urllib.request; urllib.request.urlretrieve("https://download.sublimetext.com/Package%20Control.sublime-package", sublime.installed_packages_path() + "/Package Control.sublime-package")

Important: the %20 in the URL is required. A literal space in the URL string will throw an InvalidURL error.

Step 3: Fully quit Sublime Text

Press Cmd+Q. Closing the window isn't enough — it needs to fully relaunch.

Step 4: Reopen Sublime Text

Wait 10–15 seconds for background setup to finish.

Step 5: Test it

Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P) and type "Package Control: Install Package". It should now appear in the list.

Bonus: Setting Up an Integrated Terminal (Terminus)

Once Package Control is working:

1. Cmd+Shift+P → Package Control: Install Package
2. Search for Terminus, select it, let it install

By default, Terminus opens as a tab. To make it behave like an integrated terminal panel (similar to VS Code), add a custom keybinding:

1. Go to Sublime Text → Settings → Key Bindings
2. Add this inside the square brackets:

{ "keys": ["ctrl+`"], "command": "terminus_open", "args": {"panel_name": "Terminus", "cwd": "${project_path:${folder}}"} }

3. Save the file

4. Press Ctrl + ` (Ctrl + backtick) to open the terminal as a bottom panel, anchored to your current project folder

Conclusion

The symptoms look like Package Control was never installed, but it actually is , it’s just crashing silently on outdated OpenSSL bindings and taking its menu items down with it. Switching builds won’t fix it, and the old openssl@1.1 workaround no longer works since Homebrew dropped that formula. The real fix is pulling a modern Package Control 4.x build via the console and fully restarting Sublime Text — under a minute once you know where to look.

If you hit this same wall, hopefully this saves you the hour of dead ends it took to track down.