Best way to Install PIP for Python in Mac, Windows, and Linux

Python has always been known for its simplicity and ease of use. It’s like any other powerful programming language in which a programmer can use third-party libraries or frameworks to get rid of the hassle of coding from scratch.

You can find readymade libraries or frameworks on a central repository called PyPI (Python Package Index).

But the sad part is downloading, installing and managing them can be frustrating sometimes.

So this is why many Python developers depend on a special type of tool called PIP for Python to make everything much faster and easier.

What is PIP?

The term PIP stands for “Preferred Installer Program”. It’s a command line utility that allows you to install, reinstall and uninstall the PyPi packages with simple and straightforward command and that is “pip”.

So if you are already familiar with Command Prompt of windows or with a terminal or bash of Mac and Linux then you will feel right at home.

Thus we advise you to skip this portion and move right away to installation instructions of the program for the particular operating system.

But before moving further many of you might be thinking.

Does PIP comes preloaded with Python?

And the answer is if you are using Python 2.7.9 (or greater) or Python 3.4 (or greater), then yes, PIP comes preloaded with python as a default.

But if you are using some older version of Python then you have to install it by following the below mentioned instructions.

How to check if Python is Properly installed on your computer or not?

In order to check if the Python is properly installed on your device or not you have to follow up the steps below.

Important Note – The below-mentioned steps are the same for Windows, Linux, and Mac. All you need is to run Command Prompt, terminal or bash program respectively.

Type – (python --version ) and for Python 3.x users they may need to use – (python3 --version).

If you got a version number e.g. “Python 2.7.5” or any other, then it means Python is ready to go. Otherwise, you have to install Python First.

How to install PIP on Windows

In order to install PIP for Python on Windows, you need to follow the instructions mentioned below. One thing to keep in mind is that this should work for Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10.

  • Download the get-pip.py installer script.
  • If you’re on Python 3.2, you’ll need this version of get-pip.py.
  • Open the Command Prompt and navigate to the get-pip.py file.
  • Run the following command: python get-pip.py and you are done.

How to install PIP on Mac

When it comes to installing PIP on Mac then many modern Macs comes preloaded with Python and PIP. But actually, that version of Python is a bit outdated, keeping in mind the serious Python development.

So we advise you to install the current version of Python for maximum output.

If you want to use the native Python installation but don’t have PIP available, you can install PIP with the following command in Terminal:

sudo easy_install pip

How to install PIP on Linux

Installing PIP on Linux Operating system is a bit different as compared to Mac and Windows. You need to check first if the Python is already installed or not.

But if your Linux distro came with Python already installed, you should be able to install PIP using your system’s package manager.

This is important because system-installed versions of Python do not play nicely with the get-pip.py script used on Windows and Mac. So keep this in mind.

Following are the commands for Different Python versions:

Advanced Package Tool (Python 2.x)

sudo apt-get install python-pip

Advanced Package Tool (Python 3.x)

sudo apt-get install python3-pip

pacman Package Manager (Python 2.x)

sudo pacman -S python2-pip

pacman Package Manager (Python 3.x)

sudo pacman -S python-pip

Yum Package Manager (Python 2.x)

sudo yum upgrade python-setuptools
sudo yum install python-pip python-wheel

Yum Package Manager (Python 3.x)

sudo yum install python3 python3-wheel

Dandified Yum (Python 2.x)

sudo dnf upgrade python-setuptools
sudo dnf install python-pip python-wheel

Dandified Yum (Python 3.x)

sudo dnf install python3 python3-wheel

Zypper Package Manager (Python 2.x)

sudo zypper install python-pip python-setuptools python-wheel

Zypper Package Manager (Python 3.x)

sudo zypper install python3-pip python3-setuptools python3-wheel

How to install PIP on Raspberry Pi

If you own a Raspberry Pi then you must be using its official Operating system “Raspbian“.

Talking about Raspbian Jessie, then PIP comes preloaded with it as default. So this is the reason why you should shift to Raspbian Jessie instead of  Raspbian Wheezy.

Following are the set of instructions in order to install PIP on Raspberry Pi:

On Python 2.x:

sudo apt-get install python-pip

On Python 3.x:

sudo apt-get install python3-pip

With Raspbian, Python 2.x users should use pip while Python 3.x users should use pip3 when issuing PIP commands.

Conclusion

So this was all regarding the best way to Install PIP for Python in different operating systems. So if you find it useful then do let us know in the comment section below, would love to hear that.

Stay tuned for more.

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