Getting Started

Install Python, run your first line of code, and meet the two main ways you'll interact with it.

1. Install Python

Head to python.org/downloads and grab the latest version (Python 3.x). On Windows, tick the box that says "Add Python to PATH" during install — it makes your life much easier later.

To check it worked, open a terminal (Command Prompt on Windows, Terminal on macOS/Linux) and type:

python --version

You should see something like Python 3.12.1. If you do — congratulations, you have Python.

2. The two ways to run Python

You'll mostly use Python in one of two ways:

1. The REPL — an interactive prompt for trying things out.
2. A script file (.py) — code you save and run.

The REPL

In your terminal, type python (or python3) and press Enter. You'll see a prompt that looks like >>>. Type a line of code and Python answers immediately:

print("Hello, world!")

To leave the REPL, type exit() and press Enter.

A script file

Open any text editor (VS Code is a great free choice). Create a new file called hello.py and put this in it:

# My very first Python program
print("Hello, world!")
print("Welcome to Python.")

Save it, then in your terminal, navigate to that folder and run:

python hello.py

3. Comments

Anything after a # on a line is a comment — Python ignores it. Comments are notes for humans:

# This whole line is a comment
print("Hi")  # this part is too