Python

• This tutorial is from DjangoGirls.

  Python is a very popular programming language that can be used for creating websites, games, scientific software, graphics, and much, much more.

Python originated in the late 1980s and its main goal is to be readable by human beings (not only machines!). This is why it looks simpler than other programming languages, but don't worry – Python is also really powerful!

Python installation

Let's start by installing it! We want you to install the latest version of Python 3, so if you have any earlier version, you will need to upgrade it. If you already have version 3.4 or higher you should be fine.

Please install normal Python as follows, even when you have Anaconda installed on your computer.

Windows

First check whether your computer is running a 32-bit version or a 64-bit version of Windows, on the "System type" line of the System Info page. To reach this page, try one of these methods:

Press the Windows key and Pause/Break key at the same time Open your Control Panel from the Windows menu, then navigate to System & Security, then System Press the Windows button, then navigate to Settings > System > About You can download Python for Windows from the website https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/. Click on the "Latest Python 3 Release - Python x.x.x" link. If your computer is running a 64-bit version of Windows, download the Windows x86-64 executable installer. Otherwise, download the Windows x86 executable installer. After downloading the installer, you should run it (double-click on it) and follow the instructions there.

One thing to watch out for: During the installation, you will notice a window marked "Setup". Make sure you tick the "Add Python 3.6 to PATH" or 'Add Python to your environment variables" checkbox and click on "Install Now", as shown here (it may look a bit different if you are installing a different version):

Don't forget to add Python to the Path

When the installation completes, you may see a dialog box with a link you can follow to learn more about Python or about the version you installed. Close or cancel that dialog -- you'll be learning more in this tutorial!

Note: if you are using an older version of Windows (7, Vista, or any older version) and the Python 3.6.x installer fails with an error, you can try either:

install all Windows Updates and try to install Python again; or install an older version of Python, e.g., 3.4.6. If you install an older version of Python, the installation screen may look a bit different than shown above. Make sure you scroll down to see "Add python.exe to Path", then click the button on the left and pick "Will be installed on local hard drive":

Add Python to the Path, older versions

OS X

Note Before you install Python on OS X, you should ensure your Mac settings allow installing packages that aren't from the App Store. Go to System Preferences (it's in the Applications folder), click "Security & Privacy," and then the "General" tab. If your "Allow apps downloaded from:" is set to "Mac App Store," change it to "Mac App Store and identified developers."

You need to go to the website https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-361/ and download the Python installer:

Download the Mac OS X 64-bit/32-bit installer file, Double click python-3.6.1-macosx10.6.pkg to run the installer.

Linux

It is very likely that you already have Python installed out of the box. To check if you have it installed (and which version it is), open a console and type the following command:

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$ python3 --version
Python 3.6.1

If you have a different version of Python installed, at least 3.4.0 (e.g. 3.6.0), then you don't have to upgrade. If you don't have Python installed, or if you want a different version, first check what Linux distribution you are using with the following command:

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$ grep '^NAME=' /etc/os-release

Afterwards, depending on the result, follow one of the following installation guides below this section.