Installing Python 2 on Windows

    Note

    Check out our guide for installing Python 3 on Windows.

    First, download the of Python 2.7 from the official website. If you want to be sure you are installing a fullyup-to-date version, click the Downloads > Windows link from the home page of thePython.org web site .

    The Windows version is provided as an MSI package. To install it manually, justdouble-click the file. The MSI package format allows Windows administrators toautomate installation with their standard tools.

    By design, Python installs to a directory with the version number embedded,e.g. Python version 2.7 will install at , so that you canhave multiple versions of Python on thesame system without conflicts. Of course, only one interpreter can be thedefault application for Python file types. It also does not automaticallymodify the PATH environment variable, so that you always have control overwhich copy of Python is run.

    You can do this easily by running the following in powershell:

    This is also an option during the installation process.

    The second () directory receives command files when certainpackages are installed, so it is a very useful addition.You do not need to install or configure anything else to use Python. Havingsaid that, I would strongly recommend that you install the tools and librariesdescribed in the next section before you start building Python applications forreal-world use. In particular, you should always install Setuptools, as itmakes it much easier for you to use other third-party Python libraries.

    The two most crucial third-party Python packages are and pip.

    Once installed, you can download, install and uninstall any compliant Python softwareproduct with a single command. It also enables you to add this network installationcapability to your own Python software with very little work.

    To see if pip is installed, open a command prompt and run

    To install pip, - this will automatically install the latest version of setuptools.

    Virtual Environments

    A Virtual Environment is a tool to keep the dependencies required by different projectsin separate places, by creating virtual Python environments for them. It solves the“Project X depends on version 1.x but, Project Y needs 4.x” dilemma, and keepsyour global site-packages directory clean and manageable.

    For example, you can work on a project which requires Django 1.10 while alsomaintaining a project which requires Django 1.8.

    To start using this and see more information: docs.