Blog Post #2: Your First Python Setup: Installing Python on Windows

by

Welcome back! In Post #1, we explored the “what” and “why” of Python. Now, it’s time to move on to the “how.” Before you can write a single line of code, you need to install the Python interpreter on your computer.

This guide is a step-by-step walkthrough for installing Python on a Windows 10 or Windows 11 machine. Don’t worry, the process is very simple. We’ll download the official installer, run through the setup, and then verify that everything is working perfectly.

Step 1: Download the Official Installer

First, we need to get the installation file from the official source. It’s always best to download directly from the Python website to ensure you’re getting a safe and up-to-date version.

  1. Open your preferred web browser (like Chrome, Firefox, or Edge).
  2. Navigate to the official Python website: https://www.python.org
  3. Hover your mouse over the “Downloads” tab in the main menu. The website should automatically detect that you are on Windows and show you a button to download the latest stable version.
  4. Click the button that says “Download Python 3.x.x” (the ‘x’s will be the latest version numbers).

The installer file (e.g., python-3.12.0-amd64.exe) will be saved to your Downloads folder.

Step 2: Run the Installer

Now that you have the installer, it’s time to run it. This is the most critical part of the process, and there is one checkbox you absolutely must not miss!

  1. Open your Downloads folder and find the file you just downloaded.
  2. Double-click the .exe file to launch the Python installer.
  3. The installer’s first screen will appear. STOP! Before you click anything else, look at the very bottom of the window.
  4. IMPORTANT: Check the box that says “Add python.exe to PATH”.

Why is this so important? Checking this box allows you to run Python from your command prompt from any directory on your computer. If you forget to check this, Windows won’t know where to find the Python interpreter, and you’ll have to perform extra configuration steps to fix it. This one click will save you hours of future frustration.

  1. After you have checked that crucial box, click on “Install Now”.
  2. Windows will likely pop up a User Account Control dialog asking, “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?”. Click “Yes”.
  3. A progress bar will show you the installation status. Just wait for it to complete.
  4. Once finished, you should see a “Setup was successful” screen. You can now click “Close”.

Step 3: Verify Your Installation

Your final step is to confirm that Python was installed correctly and that your computer can find it. We’ll do this using the Windows Command Prompt.

First, open the Command Prompt. You can do this by opening your Start Menu, typing cmd, and pressing Enter. (You can also use PowerShell for this).

In the black window that appears, type the following command and press Enter:

python --version

If the installation was successful, your computer will respond with the version of Python you just installed, something like:

Python 3.12.0

Next, let’s verify pip, Python’s package manager. As we touched on in Post #1, pip is the tool you’ll use to install third-party libraries. Type the following command and press Enter:

pip --version

You should see a response indicating the pip version and its location:

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

If both of these commands ran without errors and showed you the version numbers, then congratulations!

What’s Next?

You have successfully set up your Python development environment on Windows. This is a huge and essential first step. Your computer is now ready to interpret and run Python code.

Now that your Windows machine is ready, we need to ensure our friends on other systems are also set up for success. In our next post, Post #3, we will provide a similar step-by-step guide specifically for macOS users. After that, we’ll cover Linux, and then we can all regroup to write our first line of code together.

Author

Debjeet Bhowmik

Experienced Cloud & DevOps Engineer with hands-on experience in AWS, GCP, Terraform, Ansible, ELK, Docker, Git, GitLab, Python, PowerShell, Shell, and theoretical knowledge on Azure, Kubernetes & Jenkins. In my free time, I write blogs on ckdbtech.com

Leave a Comment