How to set default Python version in terminal on OS X 10.6.8?

Question

I just downloaded python 2.7 on my mac which runs OS X 10.6.8. The previous version of python installed was 2.6.

When I type python in the terminal it o

Answer 1

Because my account does not have the admin permission. I work around to set the config in ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc. Now I give a example that I assume you installed python 3.7. If you installed the other version, just change the version will be fine.

1. ~/.zshrc solution

  $ echo "alias python=/usr/local/bin/python3.7" >> ~/.zshrc
  $ source ~/.zshrc

2. ~/.bashrc solution

    $ echo "alias python=/usr/local/bin/python3.7" >> ~/.bashrc
    $ source ~/.bashrc

3. check the result

    $ python --version   
    # print result Python 3.7.1

The other solutions please refer to : https://opensource.com/article/19/5/python-3-default-mac

Answer 2

The easier solution is to install it via MacPorts:

sudo port install python_select
port search python # Search for version you are looking for
sudo port install python27
sudo port select --set python python27

Answer 3

Add followings to your ~/.bash_profile

# Setting PATH for Python 2.7
PATH="/path/to/your/python2.7/bin:${PATH}"
export PATH

Save the file and reopen the terminal.

Answer 4

The python.org installers for Python 2.x on OS X by default modify shell profiles (for the standard shells like bash and csh) to add its framework bin directory to the front of your shell path. Assuming you did not deselect the option during installation, there should now be the following in your .bash_profile file.

# Setting PATH for Python 2.7
# The orginal version is saved in .profile.pysave
PATH="/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin:${PATH}"
export PATH

But this profile is only executed by default when you launch a new terminal window; it won't apply to existing terminal sessions. So make sure you open a new one and then try again. If you are using a different shell, you may need to modify that shell's startup to do the equivalent.

The python.org installers for Python 3.x on OS X do not select the shell script modification option by default. You can enable it at installation or you can later run the Update Shell Profile.command file in the corresponding Python x.x folder in the Applications folder. Or you can just manually edit the right profile.