Can I install Python 3.x and 2.x on the same Windows computer?

1. Download python 2.7

Go to www.python.org/downloads and click on ‘Download Python 2.714”.

Wait until installation package is complete.

2. Install python 2.7

When download is finished click to install. You need to select a destination directory where python files and executables will be located. In my case I chose “C:\Python27” as my directory.

Wait until install is complete.

Click Finish

3. Download python3

In the same way as described in step 1, download python3.

Click on executable to install and choose ‘Customize installation’.

Select default values and customize install location to C:\Python3

4. Add python27 and python3 PATH

Search ‘Panel de control’ and open it.

In the search bar, search for ‘variable de entorno’.

Click on ‘Variables de entorno’

Select PATH and click on ‘Nueva’

Add the following routes in order to use python and pip.

C:\Python27

C:\Python27\Scripts

C:\Python3

C:\Python3\Scripts

Note: If you have installed python on a different location you need to find your where python is and set that location.

5. Change executables names

In order to execute both python version change the python.exe to python2.exe where python2 is located and python.exe to python3.exe where python3 is located.

Source: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3809314/how-to-install-both-python-2-x-and-python-3-x-in-windows-7

6. TEST Both Python versions

a. Check python versions

Run Python2 –V and Python3 –V to get respective python versions.

b. Install a package using python2 and python3

If the above commands run without problems python2 and python3 were successfully installed on windows 10 environment.

Jose Miguel Arrieta

January 2018