How To Open Python on Windows, Mac, Linux (2025 Edition)

In this guide, you will learn how to open python on windows, mac and Linux. Before you will know the steps to open python, you must know that there are two ways of using python:

1. You can start an interactive shell (also called a REPL, which means Read-Evaluate-Print Loop). This lets you to type Python code one line at a time and see the result right away. It’s great for learning and testing small bits of code.
2. You can run a Python program saved in a file. If you write a Python program and saved it in a file ending with .py, you can run the whole program at once using the terminal or command prompt.

In this tutorial I will let you know about the iterative shell because it much easier to start the python journey. But keep that in mind, if you are a developer or an python expert than you should use python files instead.

First of all you need to download and install python on you computer. To open the REPL, you need to open the terminal or command prompt. In all systems, you should install python 3 not 2 ( to avoid the conflict between them ). You can open python simply with the command python3 ( or python).

What Is REPL?

REPL stands for Read-Evaluate-Print Loop. It is a great tool that lets you to write and run Python code one line at a time without any editor.

Here’s how it works:

• Read: You type a line of code.
• Evaluate: Python checks and runs that code.
• Print: It shows you the result.
• Loop: It goes back and waits for the next line of code.

It is very useful for testing small ideas, to learn Python, or doing quick calculations. You can start the REPL by just typing python in your terminal or command prompt.

Now lets explore how to open python on windows, Linux or mac.

How to Open Python on Windows

1. First of all check if Python is Installed on your computer.
   • Open the Command Prompt or PowerShell.
   • Type python --version or py --version and press Enter.
   • If Python is installed, it will show something like Python 3.12.0.
2. Opening Python
   • In the same Command Prompt, type: nginxCopyEditpython or nginxCopyEditpy
   • If successful, you’ll see: python-replCopyEdit>>> This is the Python REPL — you’re now ready to write Python code line by line!
3. If Python Doesn’t Open
   • You may need to install Python.
   • During installation, make sure to check the box “Add Python to PATH” so you can open it from the terminal.

How to Open Python on macOS

1. Open Terminal:
   • Press Command (⌘) + Spacebar to open Spotlight Search.
   • Type Terminal and press Enter.
2. Start Python:
   • In the Terminal, type python3 and press Enter.If that doesn’t work, try python.
   You should now see the Python interactive prompt (>>>).

How to Open Python on Linux

1. Open Terminal:
   • Press Ctrl + Alt + T, or search for Terminal in your applications menu.
2. Start Python:
   • Type python3 and press Enter.If that doesn’t work, try python.
   The Python interactive prompt (>>>) should appear, indicating that Python is ready for use.

How to Exit the Python REPL

• Type exit() and press Enter.
• Alternatively:
  • On Windows: Press Ctrl + Z, then Enter.
  • On macOS/Linux: Press Ctrl + D.W3Schools+1Stack Overflow+1

This will exit the Python interactive shell and return you to the regular command prompt.

✅ Final Tips

• Ensure Python is installed on your system. If not, download it from the official Python website.
• If you want to write and run Python scripts, consider using a code editor like Visual Studio Code or PyCharm.

With these steps, you’re ready to start your Python programming journey!

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