Download the new python on MacOS but still got the old version when asking for python version
Question:
I am transforming from windows to Macos and want to install python. It came with an old version of python 2.7 in the computer, so I download python 3 using the pyenv install command. But when I input python --version, I still got the old version. Why is that? And I can’t install pip either. Anybody knows why?
Answers:
If you have installed python 3 (check it by running python3 --version), you can set python3 as a default python version by creating a symbolic link.
run ls -l /usr/local/bin/python* to see where all versions are installed.
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 69 May 10 2019 /usr/local/bin/python3 -> ../../../Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/bin/python3
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 76 May 10 2019 /usr/local/bin/python3-config -> ../../../Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/bin/python3-config
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 71 May 10 2019 /usr/local/bin/python3.7 -> ../../../Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/bin/python3.7
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 78 May 10 2019 /usr/local/bin/python3.7-config -> ../../../Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/bin/python3.7-config
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 72 May 10 2019 /usr/local/bin/python3.7m -> ../../../Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/bin/python3.7m
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 79 May 10 2019 /usr/local/bin/python3.7m-config -> ../../../Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/bin/python3.7m-config
The output is like above, now you just need to choose the version you want from the ones which end with ...python3.X not ...-config or ...python3.Xm, and create a symbolic link to it.
For example, you have chosen python3.7 to run as a default version, now it’s time to create the symbolic link by running:
ln -s -f /usr/local/bin/python3.7 /usr/local/bin/python
now if you run python --version its output should be 3.7
To add on to @Threem’s answer, if you have the same issue with pip and pip3 (python’s package manager) then you can run the following:
ls -l /usr/local/bin/pip*
You’ll see something similar to his answer, but with pip instead of python.
Then you can create a symbolic link the same way.
ln -s -f /usr/local/bin/pip3.10 /usr/local/bin/pip
Now if you run
pip --version
you’ll get your pip3 version.
If anyone gets hit with the "permission denied" error you can instead just do:
alias python=python3
I am transforming from windows to Macos and want to install python. It came with an old version of python 2.7 in the computer, so I download python 3 using the pyenv install command. But when I input python --version, I still got the old version. Why is that? And I can’t install pip either. Anybody knows why?
If you have installed python 3 (check it by running python3 --version), you can set python3 as a default python version by creating a symbolic link.
run ls -l /usr/local/bin/python* to see where all versions are installed.
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 69 May 10 2019 /usr/local/bin/python3 -> ../../../Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/bin/python3
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 76 May 10 2019 /usr/local/bin/python3-config -> ../../../Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/bin/python3-config
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 71 May 10 2019 /usr/local/bin/python3.7 -> ../../../Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/bin/python3.7
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 78 May 10 2019 /usr/local/bin/python3.7-config -> ../../../Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/bin/python3.7-config
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 72 May 10 2019 /usr/local/bin/python3.7m -> ../../../Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/bin/python3.7m
lrwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 79 May 10 2019 /usr/local/bin/python3.7m-config -> ../../../Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/bin/python3.7m-config
The output is like above, now you just need to choose the version you want from the ones which end with ...python3.X not ...-config or ...python3.Xm, and create a symbolic link to it.
For example, you have chosen python3.7 to run as a default version, now it’s time to create the symbolic link by running:
ln -s -f /usr/local/bin/python3.7 /usr/local/bin/python
now if you run python --version its output should be 3.7
To add on to @Threem’s answer, if you have the same issue with pip and pip3 (python’s package manager) then you can run the following:
ls -l /usr/local/bin/pip*
You’ll see something similar to his answer, but with pip instead of python.
Then you can create a symbolic link the same way.
ln -s -f /usr/local/bin/pip3.10 /usr/local/bin/pip
Now if you run
pip --version
you’ll get your pip3 version.
If anyone gets hit with the "permission denied" error you can instead just do:
alias python=python3