I've researched this on different places, including stackoverflow, and I can't find an answer that helps me.
I'm using Windows 7, 64 bit, with Atom for 64 bit Windows. I have Python 3.6.1 installed in the directory C:\Users\Austin\Documents\Python. When I try to run a simple script to test Python in Atom, it says
'python' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
[Finished in 0.083s]
I tried to run the same script in the command line, and it said the same thing. I'm new to programming, so please try to be a little patient.
Your issue is probably that your Python command is not listed in your PATH environment variable.
Environment Variables are paths, values and other information stored by your operating system and used globally by the OS and different applications you use.
The best example for a command listed in the PATH environment variable is cmd or ping. try to tap Win+R and type cmd, note how it opens a new Command Line even though you don't really know where cmd.exe is stored on your hard drive? That is because the path C:\Windows\System32 is stored in your PATH variable.
So, we know you installed python, but you want to be able to run it without specifying it's path, how can we do that? Simply add it to our environment variables:
- Use the keyboard shortcut Win+Pause
- Click on
Advanced system settings
- At the bottom of the window click on
Environment Variables...
- In the
System Variables section find the PATH variable
- Double click it
- A new window with a text box has opened, go to it's end with the end button
- Paste the path
C:\Users\Austin\Documents\Python at it's end (be sure to add a ; before pasting if there isn't one there.
- Click ok
- Open a new
cmd window
- Try and type
python you should be all set now, on the command line and in Atom.
If it isn't clear, the win button is the button on your keyboard with the windows icon on it.
In very direct terms, it means that there is no executable file named python.exe in any dictionary in your search path (which I think is the PATH environment variable on Windows).
First of all, try executing python from the installation directory. If that works, you know that you have it installed properly, and that the problem is the search path. If that fails, try again with the full path name, such as C:\Users\Austin\Documents\Python\python.exe.
Does that move you closer to a solution?
Reinstall the latest Python version. One of the first installation screens has a toggle box at the bottom that you can click to add the directory to Path. This worked for me when I ran into the same problem. You have to manually click though and it's easy to ignore it.
