Installing Python

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In the year of 2023 learning Python is a smart investment that can pay off in terms of career opportunities and job security since it is a beginner friendly programming language, it has large Libraries for data science and machine learning tasks, it is adopted by top companies, it is used in web development, and it gives good career opportunities (Vaseem, 2023). There are some Python courses worth to try, such as Udemy, Coursera, LearnPython, Udacity, Educative, Codecademy, Google, Programming with Mosh, FreeCodeCamp, Linkedln Learning, Edureka, Brilliant, and Hackr.io (Johns, 2023). Here only steps to install Python in Windows 11 are presented, hopefully, in an easy way.

Download

Visit https://www.python.org/downloads/ to download the latest version for Windows.

Python 3.12.0 is released three years ago and scheduled to be supported until October 2028. For 64 bit Windows choose the installer python-3.12.0-amd64.exe.

Downloaded installer can found in Downloads folder.

Install

Click the file python-3.12.0-amd64.exe in Downloadsfolder.

Check Use admin privileges when installing py.exe and also check Add python.exe to PATH. Even by default the Python installer for Windows places its executables in the user’s AppDatadirectory, so that it does not require administrative permissions, but if you are the only user on the system, you might want to place Python in a higher-level directory, e.g. C:\Python312, to make it easier to find (Yegulalp, 2023). Then choose Install Now or the first option.

Wait for the installation process.

Click Disable path length limit and follow by clicking Yes button.

Simply click Close button.

Move installer file, the python-3.12.0-amd64.exe from Downloads folder to, e.g.Installer folder, for future use when there is not any internet connection.

Path

To check Windows PATH for Python press Windows key and type environment variables.

Click Open.

Click Environment Variables.

The blank spaces is filled actually by %USERPROFILE%. Select second line and click Edit button.

The two first lines are already

C:\Users\%USERPOFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python312\Scripts\
C:\Users\%USERPOFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python312\

that they are should to be. Click OK button. Then click OK again for previous opened window. And again once again, click OK button to close System Properties window.

By checking Use admin privileges when installing py.exe and Add python.exe to PATH in the beginning of installation process, you do not require to modify environment variables as mostly suggested, e.g. while fix Python not recognized problem (Lübeck, 2021).

Shortcut

Return to Downloads folder.

Use mouse right click, choose New, then Shortcut.

Type cmd.exe for location of the item and click Next button.

Rename cmd.exe to python and click Finish button.

Now you have a shortcut to cmd.exe named python. Right click on the shortcut and choose Properties.

Delete value of Start in: C:\Windows\system32 and leave the field empty. Click Apply button and then OK button.

Example

Stay inDownloads folder.

Use mouse right click, New, then choose Text Document.

Rename New Text Document.txt to hello.py.

Now there is two files in Downloads folder. Click hello.py to open. In this story Notepad++ is used as default editor.

Right click on hello.py and choose Edit with Notepad++.

Press CTRL+S to save it and close Notepad++.

Execute

Click previous created python shortcut.

Type dir and press Enter key.

 Volume in drive C is OS
 Volume Serial Number is 7C59-E44F

 Directory of C:\Users\                \Downloads

05/10/2023  21:32    <DIR>          .
30/09/2023  18:42    <DIR>          ..
05/10/2023  21:57                36 hello.py
05/10/2023  21:40             1.240 python.lnk
               2 File(s)          1.276 bytes
               2 Dir(s)  339.969.101.824 bytes free

Type python --version to show version of installed Python.

Python 3.12.0

Type pip --version to get version of PIP.

pip 23.2.1 from C:\Users\%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python312\Lib\site-packages\pip (python 3.12)

Then finally test our hello.py program by typing python hello.py on the command prompt and press Enter key.

hello, world!

Now all actually have been working.