Adding Python to PATH on Windows

Question

1. Hold Win and press Pause.
2. Click Advanced System Settings.
3. Click Environment Variables.
4. Append ;C:\python27 to the Path variable.
5. Restart Command Prompt.

When setting Environmental Variables in Windows, I have gone wrong on many, many occasions. I thought I should share a few of my past mistakes here hoping that it might help someone. (These apply to all Environmental Variables, not just when setting Python Path)

Watch out for these possible mistakes:

1. Kill and reopen your shell window: Once you make a change to the ENVIRONMENTAL Variables, you have to restart the window you are testing it on.
2. NO SPACES when setting the Variables. Make sure that you are adding the ;C:\Python27 WITHOUT any spaces. (It is common to try C:\SomeOther; C:\Python27 That space (␣) after the semicolon is not okay.)
3. USE A BACKWARD SLASH when spelling out your full path. You will see forward slashes when you try echo $PATH but only backward slashes have worked for me.
4. DO NOT ADD a final backslash. Only C:\Python27 NOT C:\Python27\

Hope this helps someone.

Open cmd.exe with administrator privileges (right click on app). Then type:

setx path "%path%;C:\Python27;"

Remember to end with a semi-colon and don't include a trailing slash.

I've had a problem with this for a LONG time. I added it to my path in every way I could think of but here's what finally worked for me:

1. Right click on "My computer"
2. Click "Properties"
3. Click "Advanced system settings" in the side panel
4. Click "Environment Variables"
5. Click the "New" below system variables
6. in name enter pythonexe (or anything you want)
7. in value enter the path to your python (example: C:\Python32\)
8. Now edit the Path variable (in the system part) and add %pythonexe%; to the end of what's already there

IDK why this works but it did for me.

then try typing "python" into your command line and it should work!

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Edit:

Lately I've been using this program which seems to work pretty well. There's also this one which looks pretty good too, although I've never tried it.

Try adding this python.bat file to System32 folder and the command line will now run python when you type in python

python.bat

@C:\Python27\python.exe %*

Source:

https://github.com/KartikTalwar/dotfiles/blob/master/bat/python.bat

You can set the path from the current cmd window using the PATH = command. That will only add it for the current cmd instance. if you want to add it permanently, you should add it to system variables. (Computer > Advanced System Settings > Environment Variables)

You would goto your cmd instance, and put in PATH=C:/Python27/;%PATH%.