In this technical guide we will discover how to install Python 3 on your computer quickly and easily. We recommend you always download the latest stable release directly from the official website of Python to ensure maximum safety and compatibility of your development environment.
How to Install Python on Windows
On the official download page you will find the executable file (.exe) compatible with systems Windows 32bit and 64bit. Just start the file and follow the screen-guided steps. Attention: is essential to check out the voice “Add Python 3.X to PATH” in the very first installation screen. By default, Python will be saved in the path C:Python3X (or in the local directory of your user in the latest versions). At the end of the setup, you can launch the interpreter by navigating on Start -> All programs -> Python 3.X -> Python.
Having correctly selected the option Add Python to PATH during installation, you will be able to recall the development environment from Command Prompt, simply typing py or py -3.
If you forgot to select this crucial option during setup, no panic: you can add Python to the environment variable manually. Go Control panel -> System -> Advanced System Settings -> Environment variables. Scroll system variables, locate voice PATH and change it by adding the string corresponding to your installation (for example C:Python3X).
Manual modification of the Variable Path
To ensure that the system configuration has gone smoothly, open the Command Prompt (Start -> Execute -> cmd) and launches the following directive:
echo %PATH%
If the screen response (output) includes the location of the installation folder (e.g. C:Python3X), the system recognizes the executable. You can then start programming by typing comfortably py, py -3, o python:
Test and Start of the Python Interprete
If successful, you will see an information message with the exact version of the newly configured Python interpreter, followed by the interactive prompt (characterized by the three arrows >>> ).
For further details or troubleshooting, please consult the official Python usage documentation on Windows environments.
How to Install Python on Linux
In most distributions Linux, Python is a basic preinstalled package. However, it is a good practice to check the presence and version of the software. To do this, open your shell terminal and type:
$ python
or its specific variant:
$ python3
L’output ci aiuterà a capire lo stato del sistema: se entrambi i comandi restituiscono un errore, Python non è installato. Se python launches an outdated release (Python 2) and python3 is not found, you will have to upgrade. If the input successfully launches Python 3, the environment is already ready for use.
If Python 3 fails, proceed with installation via the package manager native of your distribution: use apt for Debian derivatives (such as Ubuntu) or yum / dnf red Hat systems. Alternatively, you can manually download and fill the source code.
$ sudo yum install python3
This command is intended for distributions based on RPM packages, such as Red Hat, Fedora and CentOS.
$ sudo apt-get install python3
Instead, it uses this distribution directive based on Debian architecture, such as Ubuntu.
If you have specific needs and prefer not to rely on repositories, let's see how to compile Python from the source code.
First, check availabilityupdated source archive on the official website. Move to a temporary folder and run commands:
$ cd /tmp
$ wget http://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.x/python-3.x.tar.bz2
This way you download the compressed file .tar.bz2 containing the entire source code. We proceed with the extraction:
$ tar -xjf python-3.x.tar.bz2
$ cd python-3.x
Just configure and launch the compilation process (build):
$ ./configure
$ make
$ sudo make install
Note for experts: if you want to add the new version to your setup without overwriting the system executable, replace the final command using make altinstall instead of the classic make install.
How to Install Python on macOS (Mac)
Similar to Linux, old systems macOS natively integrated Python. However, if you use a recent version (from macOS Monterey 12.3 onwards) Apple has removed the default interpreter. We suggest you visit the Python portal directly and download the official package for macOS (. pkg) best suited to your architecture (Intel or Apple Silicon), then proceed with the installation wizard.
If an old release survives on your Mac python from the terminal you can turn on the now obsolete version 2.7. To force the start of version 3.X, you will need to configure a “alias” in your bash or zsh profile. Open the terminal and type:
vim ~/.bash_profile
Once the text editor for the configuration file is opened (or ~/.zshrc if you use Zsh as a default shell, add the following directive to the bottom:
alias python="python3"
Save the changes. From this moment, simply typing python, macOS will automatically start the modern interpreter 3.X.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Python Installation
Do you need to uninstall old Python versions before upgrading?
In most cases it is not strictly mandatory. The Python ecosystem is designed to bring together multiple versions simultaneously on the same device (by using virtual environments). However, to prevent errors in system paths or library conflicts with the package manager pip, it may be useful to remove very obsolete installations if you no longer need it.
What version to download between Python 32bit and 64bit?
It is strongly recommended to install the 64bit version, as it guarantees performance significantly higher for data processing and eliminates bottlenecks related to using RAM memory. Install the 32bit version only if your hardware processor is very dated and does not support x64 architecture.
What does the “Add Python to PATH” check on Windows?
Select the option Add Python to PATH allows your Windows operating system to record the position of the executable globally. This will allow you to launch scripts in Python and install new libraries (using pip) from any folder of the Command Prompt, without being forced to type each time the long path of the root installation directory.
