Installing Python 3

No Python Installed Error

Welcome soon to be Python user! Python is one of the easiest programming languages to learn and grow with. But there are a few bumps right at the beginning. One of these bumps is to make sure you have Python installed and that it's a sufficiently new version (generally 3.10+ is solid these days).

Because how you install and verify Python varies by operating system, we've put together this short guide. It's goal is to give you exposure to the various ways on your operating system to install and maintain Python in a concise and no-nonsense manner. So with out further ado, let's get you setup!

Step 1. Go To Your Operating System

As mentioned above, how you verify Python and subsequently install it is specific to the operating system. So jump to:

Windows
macOS
Linux

Windows

Step 2. Do you have Python? Let's check

To determine if you have Python installed, open the command prompt or (preferred) install new Windows Terminal from the Microsoft Store.

Verify you have Python, in the command prompt / terminal, type python -V (capital V):

C:\users\username\> python -V

The output should be one of the following (version numbers will vary). C:\users\username> is not typed - Windows displays this as part of the terminal UI.

Success, you have Python

C:\users\username\> python -V
Python 3.12.0

If you see this and the reported version number is sufficiently high (often 3.9 or higher), you are good to go.

2.7? Uh oh, your Python is badly outdated!

C:\users\username\> python -V
Python 2.7.18

If you have Python 2.*, then you are using an outdated version of Python. Since 2020, Python 2 has gone entirely unsupported and should not be used. You will need to continue below to install Python 3.

Ooops, you do NOT have Python

C:\users\username\> python -V
'python' is not recognized as a command or program.

Looks like you do not have Python at all. You will need to continue below to install Python 3. Note that the error message may be slightly different for Windows Terminal: The term python is not recognized as a cmdlet, function, or operable program.

Ooops, you still do NOT have Python

C:\users\username\> python -V
Python was not found; run without arguments to install from the Windows Store...

Looks like you do not have Python at all. You will need to continue below to install Python 3. When you see this specific error message, it means that Python is not installed. What is running is a shim program meant to help you install Python 3 from the Windows Store (one option below). You can select this option by simplifying typing python and following along in the UI.

Step 3. You need Python, install it on Windows

So you need to install a new version of Python on your Windows machine. There are a variety of options for doing so. We'll run you through them, but if you are uncertain which one to get, just use the official installer. Keep in mind that no matter how you install Python, you will likely need to close and reopen your terminal/command prompt for any changes to take effect.

Python Official Installer << recommended
Windows Store
Chocolatey Package Manager for Windows
Anaconda Distribution

<< Python Official Installer on Windows >>

The Python official installer can be found on python.org.

Pros

It's the primary way the Python Software Foundation delivers Python to users
The installer is supported by core developers working at Microsoft

Cons

You will not be notified of possible updates
There is no mechanism to have a new version automatically replace the installed version

Install steps - Windows official installer:

Visit the downloads page for Windows at python.org
Find the section entitled Stable Releases
Download the MSI installer under the Download Windows installer (64-bit) link
Run the installer - be sure to check the "add python to my path" option
Close all terminal and command prompt windows
Run python -V in a new terminal window to verify you have Python now working

<< Windows Store version of Python >>

The Windows Store version of Python is a good option. It's the easiest way to get Python on Windows without administrator permissions. But there are some drawbacks too.

Pros

Easiest way to get Python on Windows without administrator permissions
Will keep Python up-to-date automatically within a release version (3.10 updates but not 3.10->3.11)
Maintained by the core developers who work at Microsoft

Cons

Does have some minor permission restrictions that apply to all Windows Store apps which can affect your development options

Install steps - Microsoft Store Python:

Open the Microsoft Store on Windows
Search for Python
Find the latest version of Python from Microsoft (currently lists 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, and 3.12)
Install from the Microsoft Store
Close all terminal and command prompt windows
Run python -V in a new terminal window to verify you have Python now working

<< Chocolatey Package Manager for Windows >>

Chocolatey is a package manager: software tools that automates the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing computer programs for a computer's operating system in a consistent manner. If you're comfortable using package managers, then this is a good option for you because you can continually update and maintain Python on your system.

Pros

Will keep Python up-to-date on your system as long as you periodically run the upgrade command
Will update across versions (e.g. 3.11 -> 3.12)
Can inform you of pending upgrade if upgrade command is run

Cons

Complex to use
Must run as administrator
Requires separate install of chocolatey itself

Install steps - Chocolatey package manager on Windows

Install Chocolatey - steps here
Open an administrator command prompt
Install the latest Python: choco install python
Periodically check for a new release: Open admin command prompt and run choco upgrade python
Close all terminal and command prompt windows and reopen one (to refresh the path)
Run python -V in a new terminal window to verify you have Python now working

<< Anaconda distribution on Windows >>

Anaconda is a distribution of Python that packages many of the common data science packages pre-configured for your system. It is a good option for data scientists.

Pros

Many packages and libraries are pre-installed
Good for data science tooling in Python

Cons

Generally uses conda environments rather than Python's virtual environments - this can lead to a mismatch in instructions when Anaconda is not the primary tool used.
Packages available here often lag behind in release schedule from PyPI / pip
Often one whole version behind on Python (e.g. 3.10 rather than 3.11)

Install steps - Anaconda distribution on Windows

Download the Windows installer
Run the installer, add Python to path if asked
Close all terminal and command prompt windows
Run python -V in a new terminal window to verify you have Python now working

macOS

Step 2. Do you have Python? Let's check

To determine if you have Python installed, open the terminal. Verify you have Python: In the terminal, type python3 -V (capital V):

$ python3 -V

The output should be one of the following (version numbers will vary). Do not type $ - macOS displays this as part of the terminal UI.

Success, you have Python

$ python3 -V
Python 3.12.0

If you see this and the reported version number is sufficiently high (often 3.9 or higher), you are good to go.

2.7? Uh oh, your Python is badly outdated!

If python3 does NOT run successfully, but python (without the 3) itself does and you see the output:

$ python -V
Python 2.7.18

Ooops, you do NOT have Python

$ python3 -V
bash: python3: command not found

Looks like you do not have Python 3 at all. You will need to continue below to install Python 3. Note that the error message is slightly different for different shells.

Step 3. You need Python, install it on macOS

Homebrew << recommended
Python Official Installer
Anaconda distribution

<< Homebrew Package Manager for macOS >>

Homebrew is a package manager: software tools that automates the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing computer programs for a computer's operating system in a consistent manner. If you're comfortable using package managers, then this is a good option for you because you can continually update and maintain Python on your system.

Pros

Will keep Python up-to-date on your system as long as you periodically run the upgrade command
Will update across versions (e.g. 3.11 -> 3.12)
Can inform you of pending upgrade if upgrade command is run

Cons

Complex to use
Requires separate install of homebrew itself

Install steps - Homebrew package manager on macOS

Install Homebrew - steps here
Open a terminal
Install the latest Python: brew install python
Periodically check for a new release: Open terminal and run brew update then brew upgrade
CAREFUL: Take careful note of any messages shown - sometimes you must update your path (varies by default shell: bash, zsh, etc.) for this version to be located.
Close all terminal windows
Run python3 -V in a new terminal window to verify you have Python now working

<< Python Official Installer on macOS >>

The Python official installer can be found on python.org.

Pros

It's the primary way the Python Software Foundation delivers Python to users
The installer is supported by core developers

Cons

You will not be notified of possible updates
There is no mechanism to have a new version automatically replace the installed version
Requires admin permissions

Install steps - macOS official installer:

Visit the downloads page for macOS
Find the section entitled Stable Releases
Download the PKG installer under the Download macOS 64-bit universal2 installer link
Run the installer
Close all terminal and command prompt windows
Run python3 -V in a new terminal window to verify you have Python now working

<< Anaconda distribution on macOS >>

Anaconda is a distribution of Python that packages many of the common data science packages pre-configured for your system. It is a good option for data scientists.

Pros

Many packages and libraries are pre-installed
Good for data science tooling in Python

Cons

Generally uses conda environments rather than Python's virtual environments - this can lead to a mismatch in instructions when Anaconda is not the primary tool used.
Packages available here often lag behind in release schedule from PyPI / pip
Often one whole version behind on Python (e.g. 3.11 rather than 3.12)

Install steps - Anaconda distribution on Windows

Download the macOS installer
Run the installer, add Python to path if asked
Close all terminal and command prompt windows
Run python3 -V in a new terminal window to verify you have Python now working

Linux

Step 2. Do you have Python? Let's check

To determine if you have Python installed, open the terminal. Verify you have Python, in the terminal, type python3 -V (capital V):

$ python3 -V

The output should be one of the following (version numbers will vary). Don't type $ - Linux displays this as part of the terminal UI.

Success, you have Python

$ python3 -V
Python 3.12.0

If you see this and the reported version number is sufficiently high (often 3.10 or higher), you are good to go.

2.7? Uh oh, your Python is badly outdated!

If python3 does NOT run successfully, but python (without the 3) itself does and you see the output:

$ python -V
Python 2.7.18

Ooops, you do NOT have Python

$ python3 -V
bash: python3: command not found

Looks like you do not have Python 3 at all. You will need to continue below to install Python 3. Note that the error message is slightly different for different shells.

Step 3. You need Python, install it on Linux

Package manager << recommended
Anaconda
Compiled from source

Note that these instructions are for Ubuntu. With the many variants of Linux, you many need to adjust slightly (e.g. yum vs. apt)

<< Built-in Package Manager for Ubuntu >>

Ubuntu manages it's installed software using apt. This is a good way to install and manage Python 3 on your system.

Pros

Will keep Python up-to-date on your system as long as you periodically run the upgrade command
Will update across versions (e.g. 3.11 -> 3.12)
Can inform you of pending upgrade if upgrade command is run

Cons

Requires root permissions
Often lags badly behind the latest version (sometimes about 1.5 years behind)

Install steps - apt package manager on Ubuntu

Open a terminal
Update the package sources: sudo apt update
Upgrade currently installed software: sudo apt upgrade
Install the latest Python 3: sudo apt install build-essential libssl-dev libffi-dev python3-dev
Make sure we have pip as part of our Python: sudo apt install python3-pip
Close all terminal windows
Run python3 -V in a new terminal window to verify you have Python now working

<< Anaconda distribution on Ubuntu >>

Anaconda is a distribution of Python that packages many of the common data science packages pre-configured for your system. It is a good option for data scientists.

Pros

Many packages and libraries are pre-installed
Good for data science tooling in Python

Cons

Generally uses conda environments rather than Python's virtual environments - this can lead to a mismatch in instructions when Anaconda is not the primary tool used.
Packages available here often lag behind in release schedule from PyPI / pip
Often one whole version behind on Python (e.g. 3.11 rather than 3.12)

Install steps - Anaconda distribution on Ubuntu

Download the Linux installer
Run the installer, add Python to path if asked
Close all terminal and command prompt windows
Run python3 -V in a new terminal window to verify you have Python now working

<< Building python from source on Ubuntu >>

While we would not generally recommend building Python 3 from source, if you need the very latest on your system, often this is one of the few options available.

Pros

You'll have the very latest Python you've gotten from source (potentially even pre-release versions)

Cons

Complicated and fraught with pitfalls
Can require root permissions for additional build libraries

Install steps - Building python from source on Ubuntu

Open a terminal
Ensure your package listings and software are up-to-date: sudo apt-get update
Install the build tools: sudo apt-get install -y build-essential checkinstall
Add additional libraries needed by Python to build: apt-get install libreadline-gplv2-dev libncursesw5-dev libssl-dev libffi-dev libsqlite3-dev tk-dev libgdbm-dev libc6-dev libbz2-dev
Change into the src directory: cd /usr/src
Get the latest source from python.org/downloads/source and wget it locally, e.g.: sudo wget https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.12.0/Python-3.12.0.tgz
Decompress it (varies by version): sudo tar xzf Python-3.12.0.tgz
Change into the created directory (varies by version): cd Python-3.12.0
Prepare it for compilation: sudo ./configure --enable-optimizations
Compile it without modifying system Python: sudo make altinstall
Verify this version was built (varies by version): python3.12 --version
Use python3.12 instead of python or python3 commands
Consider creating an alias of python3.12 to python in your shell profile.

There is a nice write up of this procedure over here.

Corrections and improvements

If you find a problem or have a suggestion to make this page better, please visit the GitHub repository here. Note that this is not intended for tech support but rather for genuine, broadly applicable improvements to the instructions:

https://github.com/talkpython/installing-python