PyCharm 2023.3 Help

Configure a system interpreter

To work with your Python code in PyCharm, you need to configure at least one interpreter. A system interpreter is the one that comes with your Python installation. You can use it solely for all Python scripts or take it as a base interpreter for Python virtual environments.

Configure a system interpreter

  1. Ensure that you have downloaded and installed Python on your computer.

    Installing Python on Windows from Microsoft Store

    If you are on Windows, you can download Python from the Microsoft Store and install it as a Python interpreter. Once the Python application is downloaded from the Microsoft Store, it becomes available in the list of the Python executables.

    Note that interpreters added from the Microsoft Store installations come with some limitations. Because of restrictions on Microsoft Store apps, Python scripts may not have full write access to shared locations such as TEMP and the registry.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Click the Python Interpreter selector and choose Add New Interpreter.

    • Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open Settings and go to Project: <project name> | Python Interpreter. Click the Add Interpreter link next to the list of the available interpreters.

    • Click the Python Interpreter selector and choose Interpreter Settings. Click the Add Interpreter link next to the list of the available interpreters.

  3. Select Add Local Interpreter.

  4. In the left-hand pane of the Add Python Interpreter dialog, select System Interpreter.

    Adding a system interpreter
  5. In the Interpreter drop-down, select one of the Python interpreters that have been installed in your system, or click the Browse button and in the Select Python Interpreter dialog that opens, choose the desired Python executable.

    Selecting the Python executable

    You will need admin privileges to install, remove, and upgrade packages for the system interpreter. When attempting to install an interpreter package through an intention action, you might receive the following error message:

    System Interpreter warning message

    As prompted, consider using a virtual environment for your project.

  6. Click OK to complete the task.

For any of the configured Python interpreters (but Docker-based), you can:

Last modified: 07 March 2024