How To Run Python On Mac Terminal

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Python is a versatile and widely used programming language that comes pre-installed on macOS. In this tutorial, we will learn how to run Python directly in your Mac terminal.

Step 1: Open Terminal

To start, open the Terminal app on your Mac. You can find it in the Applications/Utilities folder or by searching for it using Spotlight (Cmd + Spacebar).

Step 2: Check Python Version

macOS comes with Python 2.7 pre-installed, but it’s recommended to use Python 3 since Python 2 is no longer supported. To check the Python version installed on your system, enter the following command in Terminal: 

python --version

If you see Python 3.x.x, then you’re good to go. However, if you see Python 2.7.x or don’t have Python 3 installed, follow the instructions in the next section to install Python 3.

Step 3: Install Python 3 (if needed)

To install Python 3, we recommend using Homebrew, which is a package manager for macOS. First, install Homebrew by running the following command in Terminal: 

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Once Homebrew is installed, you can install Python 3 by entering the following command: 

brew install python

After the installation is complete, you can check your Python version again using the python3 --version command.

Step 4: Run Python in Terminal

To run Python directly in Terminal, just type python3 and hit Enter. This will start the Python interpreter, and you’ll see the following output: 

Python 3.x.x (default, date and time, [Clang/GCC] on darwin)
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>>

You can now enter Python commands and see their output directly in Terminal. For example, you can perform an addition by typing 2 + 3 and pressing Enter: 

>>> 2 + 3
5

To exit the Python interpreter, press Ctrl + Z (or type exit() and press Enter).

Step 5: Run Python Scripts

To run a Python script in Terminal, navigate to the directory containing the script using the cd command. For example, if your script is located in the Documents/PythonScripts folder, you’d enter: 

cd ~/Documents/PythonScripts

Once you’re in the correct directory, run the script using the python3 command followed by the script’s file name. If your script is named my_script.py, the command would be: 

python3 my_script.py

Your script will now run, and you’ll see its output in Terminal.

Conclusion

Running Python on Mac Terminal is simple and straightforward. With just a few commands, you can start using Python directly in your terminal or execute Python scripts. Happy coding!