File: //usr/share/doc/python3/html/faq/installed.html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" /><meta name="generator" content="Docutils 0.17.1: http://docutils.sourceforge.net/" />
<title>“Why is Python Installed on my Computer?” FAQ — Python 3.10.12 documentation</title><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../_static/pygments.css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../_static/pydoctheme.css?2022.1" />
<script data-url_root="../" id="documentation_options" src="../_static/documentation_options.js"></script>
<script src="../_static/jquery.js"></script>
<script src="../_static/underscore.js"></script>
<script src="../_static/doctools.js"></script>
<script src="../_static/sidebar.js"></script>
<link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml"
title="Search within Python 3.10.12 documentation"
href="../_static/opensearch.xml"/>
<link rel="author" title="About these documents" href="../about.html" />
<link rel="index" title="Index" href="../genindex.html" />
<link rel="search" title="Search" href="../search.html" />
<link rel="copyright" title="Copyright" href="../copyright.html" />
<link rel="next" title="Glossary" href="../glossary.html" />
<link rel="prev" title="Graphic User Interface FAQ" href="gui.html" />
<link rel="canonical" href="file:///usr/share/doc/python3.10/html/faq/installed.html" />
<style>
@media only screen {
table.full-width-table {
width: 100%;
}
}
</style>
<link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/png" href="../_static/py.svg" />
<script type="text/javascript" src="../_static/copybutton.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="../_static/menu.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<div class="mobile-nav">
<input type="checkbox" id="menuToggler" class="toggler__input" aria-controls="navigation"
aria-pressed="false" aria-expanded="false" role="button" aria-label="Menu" />
<label for="menuToggler" class="toggler__label">
<span></span>
</label>
<nav class="nav-content" role="navigation">
<a href="https://www.python.org/" class="nav-logo">
<img src="../_static/py.svg" alt="Logo"/>
</a>
<div class="version_switcher_placeholder"></div>
<form role="search" class="search" action="../search.html" method="get">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" class="search-icon">
<path fill-rule="nonzero"
d="M15.5 14h-.79l-.28-.27a6.5 6.5 0 001.48-5.34c-.47-2.78-2.79-5-5.59-5.34a6.505 6.505 0 00-7.27 7.27c.34 2.8 2.56 5.12 5.34 5.59a6.5 6.5 0 005.34-1.48l.27.28v.79l4.25 4.25c.41.41 1.08.41 1.49 0 .41-.41.41-1.08 0-1.49L15.5 14zm-6 0C7.01 14 5 11.99 5 9.5S7.01 5 9.5 5 14 7.01 14 9.5 11.99 14 9.5 14z" fill="#444"></path>
</svg>
<input type="text" name="q" aria-label="Quick search"/>
<input type="submit" value="Go"/>
</form>
</nav>
<div class="menu-wrapper">
<nav class="menu" role="navigation" aria-label="main navigation">
<div class="language_switcher_placeholder"></div>
<h3><a href="../contents.html">Table of Contents</a></h3>
<ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#">“Why is Python Installed on my Computer?” FAQ</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#what-is-python">What is Python?</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#why-is-python-installed-on-my-machine">Why is Python installed on my machine?</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#can-i-delete-python">Can I delete Python?</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h4>Previous topic</h4>
<p class="topless"><a href="gui.html"
title="previous chapter">Graphic User Interface FAQ</a></p>
<h4>Next topic</h4>
<p class="topless"><a href="../glossary.html"
title="next chapter">Glossary</a></p>
<div role="note" aria-label="source link">
<h3>This Page</h3>
<ul class="this-page-menu">
<li><a href="../bugs.html">Report a Bug</a></li>
<li>
<a href="https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/3.10/Doc/faq/installed.rst"
rel="nofollow">Show Source
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</nav>
</div>
</div>
<div class="related" role="navigation" aria-label="related navigation">
<h3>Navigation</h3>
<ul>
<li class="right" style="margin-right: 10px">
<a href="../genindex.html" title="General Index"
accesskey="I">index</a></li>
<li class="right" >
<a href="../py-modindex.html" title="Python Module Index"
>modules</a> |</li>
<li class="right" >
<a href="../glossary.html" title="Glossary"
accesskey="N">next</a> |</li>
<li class="right" >
<a href="gui.html" title="Graphic User Interface FAQ"
accesskey="P">previous</a> |</li>
<li><img src="../_static/py.svg" alt="python logo" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-top: -1px"/></li>
<li><a href="https://www.python.org/">Python</a> »</li>
<li class="switchers">
<div class="language_switcher_placeholder"></div>
<div class="version_switcher_placeholder"></div>
</li>
<li>
</li>
<li id="cpython-language-and-version">
<a href="../index.html">3.10.12 Documentation</a> »
</li>
<li class="nav-item nav-item-1"><a href="index.html" accesskey="U">Python Frequently Asked Questions</a> »</li>
<li class="nav-item nav-item-this"><a href="">“Why is Python Installed on my Computer?” FAQ</a></li>
<li class="right">
<div class="inline-search" role="search">
<form class="inline-search" action="../search.html" method="get">
<input placeholder="Quick search" aria-label="Quick search" type="text" name="q" />
<input type="submit" value="Go" />
<input type="hidden" name="check_keywords" value="yes" />
<input type="hidden" name="area" value="default" />
</form>
</div>
|
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="document">
<div class="documentwrapper">
<div class="bodywrapper">
<div class="body" role="main">
<section id="why-is-python-installed-on-my-computer-faq">
<h1>“Why is Python Installed on my Computer?” FAQ<a class="headerlink" href="#why-is-python-installed-on-my-computer-faq" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h1>
<section id="what-is-python">
<h2>What is Python?<a class="headerlink" href="#what-is-python" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
<p>Python is a programming language. It’s used for many different applications.
It’s used in some high schools and colleges as an introductory programming
language because Python is easy to learn, but it’s also used by professional
software developers at places such as Google, NASA, and Lucasfilm Ltd.</p>
<p>If you wish to learn more about Python, start with the <a class="reference external" href="https://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide">Beginner’s Guide to
Python</a>.</p>
</section>
<section id="why-is-python-installed-on-my-machine">
<h2>Why is Python installed on my machine?<a class="headerlink" href="#why-is-python-installed-on-my-machine" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
<p>If you find Python installed on your system but don’t remember installing it,
there are several possible ways it could have gotten there.</p>
<ul class="simple">
<li><p>Perhaps another user on the computer wanted to learn programming and installed
it; you’ll have to figure out who’s been using the machine and might have
installed it.</p></li>
<li><p>A third-party application installed on the machine might have been written in
Python and included a Python installation. There are many such applications,
from GUI programs to network servers and administrative scripts.</p></li>
<li><p>Some Windows machines also have Python installed. At this writing we’re aware
of computers from Hewlett-Packard and Compaq that include Python. Apparently
some of HP/Compaq’s administrative tools are written in Python.</p></li>
<li><p>Many Unix-compatible operating systems, such as macOS and some Linux
distributions, have Python installed by default; it’s included in the base
installation.</p></li>
</ul>
</section>
<section id="can-i-delete-python">
<h2>Can I delete Python?<a class="headerlink" href="#can-i-delete-python" title="Permalink to this headline">¶</a></h2>
<p>That depends on where Python came from.</p>
<p>If someone installed it deliberately, you can remove it without hurting
anything. On Windows, use the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel.</p>
<p>If Python was installed by a third-party application, you can also remove it,
but that application will no longer work. You should use that application’s
uninstaller rather than removing Python directly.</p>
<p>If Python came with your operating system, removing it is not recommended. If
you remove it, whatever tools were written in Python will no longer run, and
some of them might be important to you. Reinstalling the whole system would
then be required to fix things again.</p>
</section>
</section>
<div class="clearer"></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="sphinxsidebar" role="navigation" aria-label="main navigation">
<div class="sphinxsidebarwrapper">
<h3><a href="../contents.html">Table of Contents</a></h3>
<ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#">“Why is Python Installed on my Computer?” FAQ</a><ul>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#what-is-python">What is Python?</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#why-is-python-installed-on-my-machine">Why is Python installed on my machine?</a></li>
<li><a class="reference internal" href="#can-i-delete-python">Can I delete Python?</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h4>Previous topic</h4>
<p class="topless"><a href="gui.html"
title="previous chapter">Graphic User Interface FAQ</a></p>
<h4>Next topic</h4>
<p class="topless"><a href="../glossary.html"
title="next chapter">Glossary</a></p>
<div role="note" aria-label="source link">
<h3>This Page</h3>
<ul class="this-page-menu">
<li><a href="../bugs.html">Report a Bug</a></li>
<li>
<a href="https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/3.10/Doc/faq/installed.rst"
rel="nofollow">Show Source
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="clearer"></div>
</div>
<div class="related" role="navigation" aria-label="related navigation">
<h3>Navigation</h3>
<ul>
<li class="right" style="margin-right: 10px">
<a href="../genindex.html" title="General Index"
>index</a></li>
<li class="right" >
<a href="../py-modindex.html" title="Python Module Index"
>modules</a> |</li>
<li class="right" >
<a href="../glossary.html" title="Glossary"
>next</a> |</li>
<li class="right" >
<a href="gui.html" title="Graphic User Interface FAQ"
>previous</a> |</li>
<li><img src="../_static/py.svg" alt="python logo" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-top: -1px"/></li>
<li><a href="https://www.python.org/">Python</a> »</li>
<li class="switchers">
<div class="language_switcher_placeholder"></div>
<div class="version_switcher_placeholder"></div>
</li>
<li>
</li>
<li id="cpython-language-and-version">
<a href="../index.html">3.10.12 Documentation</a> »
</li>
<li class="nav-item nav-item-1"><a href="index.html" >Python Frequently Asked Questions</a> »</li>
<li class="nav-item nav-item-this"><a href="">“Why is Python Installed on my Computer?” FAQ</a></li>
<li class="right">
<div class="inline-search" role="search">
<form class="inline-search" action="../search.html" method="get">
<input placeholder="Quick search" aria-label="Quick search" type="text" name="q" />
<input type="submit" value="Go" />
<input type="hidden" name="check_keywords" value="yes" />
<input type="hidden" name="area" value="default" />
</form>
</div>
|
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="footer">
© <a href="../copyright.html">Copyright</a> 2001-2025, Python Software Foundation.
<br />
This page is licensed under the Python Software Foundation License Version 2.
<br />
Examples, recipes, and other code in the documentation are additionally licensed under the Zero Clause BSD License.
<br />
See <a href="/license.html">History and License</a> for more information.<br />
<br />
The Python Software Foundation is a non-profit corporation.
<a href="https://www.python.org/psf/donations/">Please donate.</a>
<br />
<br />
Last updated on August 15, 2025.
<a href="/bugs.html">Found a bug</a>?
<br />
Created using <a href="https://www.sphinx-doc.org/">Sphinx</a> 4.3.2.
</div>
</body>
</html>