06/06/2016

AddPythontothePATHEnvironmentalVariable(pythonisnotrecognizedasaninternalorexternalcommand)

AddPythontothePATHEnvironmentalVariable
(pythonisnotrecognizedasaninternalor
externalcommand)
ManydevelopersinstallPythonontheirWindowsmachine,andwhenthey
try to run the console command python.exe , they get the following error
message:

pythonisnotrecognizedasaninternalorexternalcommand

.
We'llshowyouhowtoinstallPython,andfixthiserror.ByaddingPython
tothePATHenvironmentalvariable.

Step1:DownloadPython
First visit the official Python download page and download the latest
release.Atthetimeofthiswritingthelatestversionsare2.7.3and3.3.0.

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AddPythontothePATHEnvironmentalVariable(pythonisnotrecognizedasaninternalorexternalcommand)

Install it by double clicking the Python installer setup file and follow the
wizardalong.

Step2:AddPythontothePATHEnvironmentalVariable
Next, let's click on the Start Menu and right click My Computer. Click
onAdvancedSystemSettings.

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AddPythontothePATHEnvironmentalVariable(pythonisnotrecognizedasaninternalorexternalcommand)

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AddPythontothePATHEnvironmentalVariable(pythonisnotrecognizedasaninternalorexternalcommand)

ThenclickonEnvironmentVariables.ThisiswherewecanaddPythonto
thePATHenvironmentalvariable.

Findthe PATH variableandclickEdit.YouwanttoaddPythontothisPATH

variablebyaddingC:\Python27totheendofthatstring(orwhateverthe
pathtoyourPythoninstallationis).
Saveyourchanges!

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AddPythontothePATHEnvironmentalVariable(pythonisnotrecognizedasaninternalorexternalcommand)

Sowhatexactlyishappeninghere?
Whenyoutypein python inacommandprompt,Windowswillusethe PATH
environmental variable to get a list of directories to go looking for the
python.exe file. Before you followed the steps here, it couldnt find the
python.exefile,hencetheerror.
Now that the PATH variable is set, when you execute python via the
Windowsconsole,you'llseeafamiliarprogrammingprompt.

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AddPythontothePATHEnvironmentalVariable(pythonisnotrecognizedasaninternalorexternalcommand)

PythonrunningonWindows!

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