The Simple Way to Find Python Location on Your Raspberry Pi

Learn how to check the location of Python installed on your Raspberry Pi. Useful for beginners and advanced users alike! …


Updated October 17, 2023

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Learn how to check the location of Python installed on your Raspberry Pi. Useful for beginners and advanced users alike!

Python is a popular programming language that has many uses, including web development, data analysis, machine learning, and more. One of the first steps in using Python on your Raspberry Pi is to find out where it’s installed. Here’s how you can do this:

  1. Open a terminal window on your Raspberry Pi by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T or navigating to Menu > Accessories > Terminal.
  2. Type the following command into the terminal and press Enter:
which python3

This will return the location of the Python 3 executable installed on your system. For example, it might look something like this:

/usr/bin/python3

If you’re using Python 2 instead, use the command which python instead. If Python isn’t installed, you can install it by running the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3
  1. Once you have the location of your Python executable, you can check its version number by typing:
python3 --version

or

python --version

depending on which version you’re using. This will display the version number in the terminal, for example:

Python 3.7.3
  1. To confirm that Python is installed correctly and working properly, you can run a simple program. Type the following into the terminal and press Enter:
print("Hello, World!")

If Python is installed correctly, it will print “Hello, World!” to the terminal. If not, there may be an issue with your installation or configuration.

Remember that Python can be installed in different locations depending on how you set up your Raspberry Pi and which version of the OS you’re using. The steps above should help you locate it on most systems, but if you’re still having trouble, try searching for “python” in your file system:

sudo find / -name python3

or

sudo find / -name python

This will search your entire Raspberry Pi file system for any files or folders with the name “python” and display their locations. You can then check each of these locations to see if they contain a Python executable.

If you’re still having trouble, consider installing Python using a package manager like pip. This will ensure that it’s installed in a standard location and make it easier for you (and others) to manage your Python environment on your Raspberry Pi. To install pip, run:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3-pip

Then, use pip to install any additional Python packages or modules that you need.