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Setting Up Python on Your Computer ​

Before you can bake, you need an oven. This lesson installs yours.

In What Is Python?, you saw a few small Python programs. To run programs like that yourself, your computer needs Python installed: the program that reads your code and carries it out. In this lesson, you'll install it, check that it works, and set up a code editor to write in.

Take it slowly and follow the steps for your own computer. If something doesn't work, the troubleshooting section near the end covers the usual problems.

Which version? ​

Always install the newest Python 3. At the time of writing, that's Python 3.14, and 3.15 is due in October 2026. Any recent version works for this whole track, so if a newer one is available when you read this, pick that.

Installing on Windows ​

On Windows, Python.org now recommends a small tool called the Python install manager. It installs Python for you, keeps it up to date, and lets you add other versions later.

  1. Go to python.org/downloads and download the Python install manager for Windows. (It's also in the Microsoft Store, under the name Python install manager. Both versions are the same.)
  2. Run it and follow the steps.
  3. Open a new terminal: search the Start menu for Terminal.
  4. Type this command and press Enter:
text
py install default

That downloads and installs the newest version of Python. When it finishes, the python command is ready to use.

You may still find the older Python installer (a file ending in .exe) on the website. It works, but it's being phased out: Python 3.16 won't have one.

Installing on macOS ​

  1. Go to python.org/downloads and download the latest Python 3 installer for macOS (a file ending in .pkg).
  2. Open it and follow the steps.

On macOS, the command is python3, not python. Wherever this track says python, type python3 instead.

Installing on Linux ​

Most Linux systems already have Python 3. Open a terminal and check:

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python3 --version

If it prints a version number, you're set. If not, install it with your system's package manager. On Ubuntu and Debian, that's sudo apt install python3. Like macOS, Linux uses python3 as the command.

Checking that it worked ​

Open a new terminal window (an old one may not know Python was just installed) and type:

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python --version

On macOS or Linux, type python3 --version instead. You should see something like this, though your numbers may differ:

text
Python 3.14.7

If you see a version number, the hardest part is done. Seriously, well done.

If you've never used a terminal before, Using the Integrated Terminal in the IDE track is a gentle introduction.

Choosing a code editor ​

You could write Python in a plain text editor, but a code editor makes life much easier. It colors your code, points out mistakes as you type, and runs your program with one click. The IDE track explains how to choose one. For Python, two free options are popular:

  • Visual Studio Code with Microsoft's Python extension. It's light, it works for other languages too, and you might already have it from the IDE track. Open the Extensions view, search for Python, and install the one published by Microsoft.
  • PyCharm, an editor built specifically for Python. It's heavier, but it does a lot for you.

Either one is a great choice. Pick one and stick with it for now.

When something goes wrong ​

"'python' is not recognized" or "command not found"

The terminal can't find Python. The most common reason is that the terminal was already open when you installed it. Close every terminal window, open a new one, and try again. On macOS and Linux, make sure you're typing python3.

The version number is old, like 2.7 or 3.6

You have an older Python installed as well, and it's being found first. That's common on older Macs and school computers. On macOS and Linux, use python3. On Windows, py list shows every version the install manager knows about.

Your school computer won't let you install anything

That's normal on shared computers. You can still read every lesson here, and you can finish the setup at home later.

Try it ​

This small program checks your setup by printing which Python version is running and which operating system it's on. Predict what it prints, then check your guess.

The first line, import platform, loads a built-in toolbox of functions for asking about the computer. You'll learn about import in Modules and import.

Running Python here

Running Python right in the browser is coming to Syntaxia soon. Once your setup works, save this program as main.py, open a terminal in the same folder, and run python main.py (or python3 main.py on macOS and Linux).

Check your prediction

The first line is always the same. The other two depend on your computer, so yours will look a little different:

text
Python is working!
Python version: 3.14.7
Operating system: Windows

On a Mac, the last line says Darwin, the name of the system underneath macOS. On Linux, it says Linux.

Try it yourself ​

  1. Run python --version (or python3 --version) in a new terminal, and write down the version number.
  2. Make a new folder called python-practice somewhere easy to find. Open it in your code editor, and create a file inside it named main.py.
  3. Copy the program above into main.py, save it, and run it from a terminal in that folder. Does the version it prints match the one from step 1?

Check your understanding ​

On macOS, which command runs Python 3?
You just installed Python, but the terminal says python is not recognized. What should you try first?
What does py install default do on Windows?

Up next ​

Your oven is hot. Time to bake something: in Your First Python Program, you'll write a program from scratch and find out what every line means.

← What Python Is and Why It's Used
Your First Python Program →

Answer the quiz above correctly to continue.