Python: Installation

First check if Python is already installed on the machine or not. Just type the command “python” and check the response-

$ python

Python 3.10.12 (main, Sep 11 2024, 15:47:36) [GCC 11.4.0] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>>

Bash

If nothing is found then you can try using the command “python3” as you might have Python version 3 installed and the execution file is named “python3”.

$ python3

Python 3.10.12 (main, Sep 11 2024, 15:47:36) [GCC 11.4.0] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>>

Bash

If it shows some output of the Python version and opens an interactive Python shell, we already have Python installed on our machine. We do not need to do anything.

NOTES

Once you are inside the Python interactive shell, then type “exit()” and press Enter to get out of the shell.

If not already installed, then we might get output like below-

$ python

sh: 29: python: not found

Bash

Let’s see how we can install and run Python on different operating systems.

Python Installation on Linux

We are installing Python on a Debian-based operating system. First, pull all the updates-

sudo apt update

Bash

Use the following command to install Python version 3-

sudo apt install python3

Bash

Check the installed version of Python using the following command-

python3 --version

# Output:
# Python 3.10.12

Bash

Install PIP for Python package management-

sudo apt install python3-pip

Bash

As we have installed Python version 3 here, the executable is named “python3”. We can create an alias of “python3”, so that we can call the “python3” command easily using just “python”.

Use the following command to add the alias to “.bashrc” file-

echo "alias python=python3" >> ~/.bashrc

Bash

Use the following to load the changed alias-

# Then use the following command to load the changed source
source ~/.bashrc

# Or restart the terminal

Bash

Python Installation on Windows

NOTES

All Python downloadable versions are available on the official site. Use the following link for any download-

Download Python

Download the appropriate installer from the above link, then run the installer. You will see a screen like below-

The installation process is simple. just follow the instructions and click on the button/link of the next step.

Python Windows Installation Complete — Python Windows Installer Progress

NOTES

Make sure to check the box for the option “Add python.exe to PATH“.

This is important, to check it box, so that the Python executable path is added to the PATH environment variable of Windows, and we can use the “python” command from anywhere.

Check the Python installation using the command “python”-

> python

Python 3.13.0 (tags/v3.13.0:8e8a4ba, Jun  6 2024, 19:30:16) [MSC v.1940 64 bit (AMD64)] on win32
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>>