Running Python on your own computer

Everything in this course runs right here in your browser, so you never had to install anything to learn Python. But once you start building your own projects outside this course, you'll want Python on your own computer. This optional lesson shows you how.

Do you even need to install it?

For practicing what you've learned, you don't — you can keep using the in-browser editor, or try free online editors like Replit or the official Python.org online console. Install Python locally when you're ready to:

• Build and save real projects on your own machine
• Use a code editor like VS Code
• Install extra libraries with pip

Step 1: Install Python

The safest source is always the official site: python.org/downloads. Download the latest Python 3 version for your operating system.

Windows

1. Download the Windows installer from python.org.
2. Run it. On the very first screen, check the box that says "Add python.exe to PATH" before clicking Install. This one checkbox saves most beginners hours of frustration.
3. Click Install Now and let it finish.

macOS

1. Download the macOS installer from python.org and run it.
2. Click through the prompts to install.

Note: macOS may already include an old Python used by the system — installing from python.org gives you a clean, up-to-date version to work with.

Linux

Most Linux distributions already include Python 3. If you need to install or update it, use your package manager, for example on Debian or Ubuntu:

Step 2: Check that it worked

Open a terminal and run the version command. On Windows, open Command Prompt or PowerShell and type:

On macOS and Linux, open the Terminal and type:

You should see something like:

If you see a version number, you're…