I have two installations of Python on a corporate Windows computer. One from the Anaconda distribution:
C:\Users\Me\AppData\Local\Continuum\anaconda3\python3.exe
Another one from a corporate installer:
C:\Users\Me\AppData\Local\Downloaded Apps\WinPython\python-3.4.3\python.exe
If I type "python" in the default "cmd" terminal or in the Git Bash, it says "command not found". Probably for the same reason, Jupyter does not allow me to create a Python 3 notebook. How do I set the paths so that Python is available system-wide? I prefer the Anaconda distribution's Python.
EDIT: Creating a new user variable PYTHONPATH and setting it to C:\Users\Me\AppData\Local\Continuum\anaconda3\ via Windows System Properties does not have an effect.
This answer describes step-by-step an approach that worked for me. However, as eryksun notes in the comment, the additional variable should not be named PYTHONPATH. I renamed it PYTHON, which works.
Strangely, adding the paths directly to the PATH variable did NOT work.
You have to add the path of your installation to the Environment variables.
Simply go to the System Properties / Environment Variables /
From there, create a new system variables and add your python path.
In the system variable section select the Path variable.
Add new variable C:\Users\Me\AppData\Local\Continuum\anaconda3\ as environment variable in your advanced System Settings.
This is from where your system will invoke the python interpreter.
For more details see this answer
Related
Could not find a working python interpreter. Please make sure one of the following is in your PATH: python python3 python3.8 python3.7 python2.7 python2
I installed python 3.10.4
Path is set in environment variables. Still not working.
How to set path:
Find the path to install Python on your computer. To do this, open the Windows search bar and type python.exe. Select the Open file location option.
Copy path of python folder.
To add Python To PATH In User Variables: Open My Computer\Properties\Advanced system settings\Advanced Environment Variables\Environment Variables.
In the User Variables menu, find a variable named Path. Then paste the path you copied earlier into the Variable Value option using Ctrl+v and click OK.
if you cannot find this variable, you may need to create it. To do this, click New. Then, in the variable name form, enter the path and paste your Python path into the variable value field.
6.You can also add Python to the PATH system variable. Although this is just an alternative and not needed if you have already added it to the Users variables.
To use the System Variables option, follow the steps highlighted above to copy the Python path and its script. Then go back to environment variables. Then, in the system variables segment, look for a variable named Path. Click this variable and click Edit.
It is working now. We have to set paths in both user variables and system variables. Then restart the PC.
If you have already set the path and can see only python and/or python 3 in the destination folder:
Type "python" in cmd. It will automatically take you to Windows Store, Install python 3.8 from there. Or you can externally install python 3.8 for latest Firebase plugin. This removes the error.
I have found a partial answer in this question:
Adding Anaconda to Path or not
But I still don't fully understand. I have had a lot of installation issues when switching from a normal installation Python to Anaconda, requiring me to completely re-install Windows... So i want to get this right now.
What happens internally when I Add Anaconda (or python for that matter) to the PATH? I plan on working with seperate conda environments for different python versions, what could go wrong if I add Anaconda to path in the installation? And what is the difference between doing it in the installation or doing it later through the command prompt? Will it affect my ability to integrate anaconda with PyCharm?
PATH is an environment variable that is a list of locations where executable programs lie (see also the wikipedia page.
Whenever you are in your command line and try to execute some program, for example regedit, then the cmd does not magically know that you mean C:\Windows\regedit.exe. Instead, it searches all locations in your PATH for an executable named regedit and finds it in C:\Windows which is one of the standard parts of PATH in Windows.
That is also, why messing with the PATH can be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing, because it might lead to things not working anymore if, for example you delete parts of the path or add custom directories to it.
That being said, you should now have an idea what happens when you "Add anaconda to path". It simply means, that Anaconda adds the directory where its executables lie to the PATH, hence making it findable when, for example you type conda in your cmd.
That being said, adding Anaconda to PATH is something that is convenient, because the commands can always be found automatically and they will also be found by other programs scanning your PATH for a python executable.
At the same time it is not necessary. When you use e.g. pycharm, then you can specify the path to the interpreter inside of pycharm. it does not necessarily need to be present in your PATH.
Note:
I personally have it on my PATH because I am too lazy to open an Anaconda prompt each time I need it in a cmd and I do not see the harm in it if you understand the consequences and its my only python installation anyway.
Also Helpful:
On windows, you can use the where command to find out from where commands are loaded. For example:
where regedit
gives
C:\Windows\regedit.exe
This can be especially helpful when trying to debug PATH issues
The python.exe of the base environment resides in the
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Anaconda3 folder
If you add this folder to the PATH, you can call that version directly from the prompt and Python will also find many of the installed packages via that anchor folder. However, this is not true for e.g. the Numpy package which heavily depends on compiled C libraries. So you would also need to add the following folders to the PATH:
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Anaconda3\Library\mingw-w64\bin;
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Anaconda3\Library\usr\bin;
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Anaconda3\Library\bin;
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Anaconda3\Scripts;
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Anaconda3\bin;
This is exctly what the activation is for, plus it also gives you the option to easily switch between environments.
Bottom line: Adding Anaconda to the PATH might help in simple cases, but the whole concept of Anaconda's dependency management depends on environments and their activation. It's better to use Anacona the proper way right from the beginning and NOT to add Anaconda to the PATH.
I have just installed Anaconda on my computer because I need to use Numpy.
Well, when I use python I for some reason have to be in the same folder as python.exe and, of course, now that I want to use Anaconda I have to be in the Anaconda3\Scripts folder where python.exe isn't. This is a nightmare, how can I use anaconda with python on a windows computer? Why does it have to be so complicated?
I think you are referring to the command-line use of python?
If you have admin priviliges on your machine you can add python to your environment variables, making it available in the console anywhere. (Sorry for different spellings, I am not on an english machine)
Press Shift+Pause ("System")
Click "Advanced System Options"
Click "Environment variables"
In the lower field with "System variables" there is a variable called PATH. Append the complete path to your python.exe without the file to that by adding a ; behind the last path in the variable and then adding your path. Do not add any spaces!
Example: C:\examplepath\;C:\Python27\
When you install anaconda on windows now, it doesn't automatically add Python or Conda to your path.
If you don’t know where your conda and/or python is, you type the following commands into your anaconda prompt (it comes when you install anaconda)
Next, you can add Python and Conda to your path by using the setx command in your command prompt.
Next close that command prompt and open a new one. You should now be able to use the python command. To do this you open a command prompt and type
python nameofPythonfile.py
Source: https://medium.com/#GalarnykMichael/install-python-on-windows-anaconda-c63c7c3d1444
To be able to do that in the command line you just have to add Python and also the Anaconda3\Scripts directory to your system path.
Here is a good tutorial on setting your path in Windows:
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000549.htm
I am using Anaconda 3 on Windows and added it to PATH. I have created an environment in which I have installed Python 2. I can change to Py2 environment with
activate ENV_NAME
This change is limited to the current terminal only. Is there any in-built way to permanently change active Python so that it is accessible throughout the whole system ? I want this because I have some program that needs Python 2 and it looks in the PATH variable for python installation and so catches Python 3.
You should be able to simply update/install the python in your root environment. Try conda install python=2.7.
You could also add the Python in your Py2 environment first in your PATH.
Take a look at this question for more details.
Changing the system wide python is a matter of which python can be found through the PATH variable.
So I can think of 2 alternatives:
You switch the python version back and forth in your root environment like paul suggested.
You manipulate your PATH variable to point to the desired python.
Notice that the second alternative can be pretty fragile since if your PATH is not set correctly you will end running the wrong python version on your programs.
Maybe you could create a .bat file which would activate the correct environment and launch your "python 3" software.
Using the PyCharm IDE, when setting up an external tool, how can you set up the external tools with a path relative to use the current virtual env defaults.?
An example being pylint - where I'd want the virtual env version and not the system one to run.
Not sure about older versions, but in PyCharm 5 one can use $PyInterpreterDirectory$ macro. It's exactly that we want
There's JDKPath macro you can use which points to the executable of the interpreter set for a project. You can combine this with the fact that many tools can be run by directly running their module(s) using the -m option of interpreter. Also there's issue PY-2734 New useful macros in external tools everyone can vote on.
just found your post while looking for documentation about the "variables" that could bew used when setting parameters for external tools.
No documentation but you can see a list of all the available stuff after pressing thE "INSERT MACRO" button in the Edit Tool dialog.
I don't see any reference to the interpreter path there but I usually use the virtualenv as my project path. If you are doing that too you could infer the python interpreter path from there.
In Tool Settings, set Program: to $PyInterpreterDirectory$/pylint