It’s been widely known for many years that Windows is the only mainstream operating system that has not included a Python interpreter out of the box. For many users who are never going to need it, this helps reduce the size and improves the security of the operating system. But for those of us who would like to use it, Python’s absence has been keenly felt.

The Windows 10 May 2019 Update

With the May 2019 update to WIndows 10, there are two methods to get Python 3.7 or later on your computer. As of October, 2020, there are community releases of Python 3.7. 3.8, and 3.9 in the Microsoft Store. This will be the default choice for getting Python if you are looking for an easy install separate than those on the Internet.

Second, every install of Windows starting with the May 2019 update will include python and python3 commands that take you directly to the Python store page.

This tutorial will help you through these options.

This tutorial is based, in part, on an excellent Microsoft blog post "Who put Python in the Windows 10 May 2019 Update?" at https://devblogs.microsoft.com/python/python-in-the-windows-10-may-2019-update/ by Steve Dower.

This guide was first published on Jun 03, 2019. It was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

This page (Overview) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

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