Configure Python on Windows

This page will walk you through installing Python and setting up your environment on Windows.

Installing Python

1. Go to python.org/downloads and download the latest Python 3 installer.
2. Run the installer.
3. Important: On the first screen, tick "Add Python to PATH" before clicking Install Now.
4. Once complete, open Command Prompt and verify the installation:

python --version

If you see python is not recognised, restart your terminal and try again. If it still fails, check that Python was added to your PATH via System Properties → Environment Variables.

Installing VS Code

1. Download VS Code.
2. Install and open it.
3. Go to the Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X) and search for Python — install the extension by Microsoft.

Creating the Course Folder

Open Command Prompt and run:

mkdir python-101
cd python-101

Setting Up a Virtual Environment

It is good practice to use a virtual environment for every project. This keeps your installed packages separate from the global Python installation.

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate

You should now see (.venv) in your terminal prompt.

You will need to run .venv\Scripts\activate each time you open a new terminal. Grade 8 covers virtual environments in detail.

Verifying Your Setup

With your virtual environment active, run:

python --version
pip --version

Both should return version numbers. You are ready to start Grade 1.

Notes

• On Windows, python and pip refer to the version installed in your active environment.
• If python is not found but python3 works, use python3 throughout the course.
• VS Code will usually detect your .venv automatically — if prompted to select an interpreter, choose the one inside .venv.