How to Install Python 3 on macOS: A Step‑by‑Step Guide for Beginners

1. Introduction

In a Python community chat a user needed Python installed on a macOS machine. This guide records the complete installation process for beginners.

2. Confirm Operating System Type

Before downloading Python, open the macOS Terminal and run uname -a to verify that the system is 64‑bit. macOS ships with Python 2.7, which is deprecated, so we recommend installing Python 3.x.

3. Installation Process

1. Visit the official Python website and go to the macOS download page https://www.python.org/downloads/macos/, then select the desired version.

2. After the download finishes, locate the installer package.

3. Double‑click the package to start the installer and click “Continue” on the Introduction screen.

4. Click “Continue” on the “Read Me First” dialog.

5. Accept the license agreement and continue.

6. In the popup, click “Agree” to proceed.

7. Choose the installation location (default is fine) and click “Install”.

8. When prompted, enter your password to allow the installation.

9. Wait for the installer to finish; progress is shown in the dialog.

10. After installation, open Terminal (Applications → Utilities → Terminal) and run python3 to enter the Python shell, confirming that Python is installed.

11. In the shell, execute print('Hello World') to see the output, verifying that the interpreter works correctly.

4. Summary

This article provides a complete, step‑by‑step tutorial for installing and configuring Python on macOS, covering OS verification, downloading the correct installer, following the installation wizard, and validating the installation via the terminal.