BeginnersGuide
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Beginner's Guide to Python
Welcome to Python.
The
official Python tutorial
provides a good starting point if you have programmed in another language.
New to programming? Python is free and easy to learn if you know where to start! This guide will help you get started.
Beginner's Guide: Chinese Translation/中文版入门
New to Python?
Read
BeginnersGuide/Overview
for a short explanation of what Python is.
Getting Python
Next, install the Python 3 interpreter on your computer. This is the program that reads Python programs and carries out their instructions; you need it before you can do any Python programming. Mac and Linux distributions may include an outdated version of Python (Python 2), but you should install an updated one (Python 3). See
BeginnersGuide/Download
for instructions to download the correct version of Python.
There are also Python interpreter and IDE bundles available, such as
Thonny
. Other options can be found at
IntegratedDevelopmentEnvironments
At some stage, you'll want to edit and save your program code. Take a look at
HowToEditPythonCode
for some advice and recommendations.
Learning Python
Next, read a tutorial and try some simple experiments with your new Python interpreter.
If you have never programmed before, see
BeginnersGuide/NonProgrammers
for a list of suitable tutorials.
If you have previous programming experience, consult
BeginnersGuide/Programmers
, which lists more advanced tutorials.
If English isn't your first language, you might be more comfortable with a tutorial that's been translated into your language. Consult python.org's
list of Non-English resources
Most tutorials assume you know how to run a program on your computer. If you are using Windows and need help with this, see
How do I Run a Program Under Windows
Here are some sites that focus on beginners and offer in-browser coding:
Please keep these links sorted alphabetically
Beginners Python tutorial
at Python Land (free)
Codédex
(non-free)
Outdated, Python 2! *
Codecademy
Coding Bootcamps
(non-free)
DataCamp
(non-free)
Dataquest
for Python for data science. (free)
Genepy
interactive exercises (free, open source, no ads)
High School Technology Services
for general Python (non-free)
LabEx
Python Hands-on Labs (freemium)
Learn Python
Python basics running in the browser(free)
Once you have read a tutorial, you can browse through
Python's online documentation
. It includes
a tutorial
that might come in handy,
a Library Reference
that lists all of the modules that come standard with Python, and
the Language Reference
for a complete (if rather dry) explanation of Python's syntax.
When you are ready to write your first program, you will need a
text editor
or an
IDE
. If you don't want to use Thonny or something more advanced, then you can use
IDLE
, which is bundled with Python and supports
extensions
This Python wiki also contains a page about
Python One-Liners
-- an obscure but interesting subculture in Python.
Need Help?
Need help with any of this? Read
BeginnersGuide/Help
for mailing lists and newsgroups.
An interactive and free way to learn Python is to ask ChatGPT or another generative AI model for help. The Python code quality generated by AI agents has become pretty good. State-of-the-art AI models work especially well for small projects or code understanding questions.
Most Python books will include an introduction to the language; see
IntroductoryBooks
for suggested titles.
Consult
BeginnersGuide/Examples
for small programs and little snippets of code that can help you learn.
Or, if you prefer to learn Python through listening to a lecture, you can attend a training course or even hire a trainer to come to your company. Consult the
PythonEvents
page to see if any training courses are scheduled in your area and the
PythonTraining
page for a list of trainers.
Teachers can join the
EDU-SIG
, a mailing list for discussion of Python's use in teaching at any level ranging from K-12 up to university.
Complete list of Beginner's Guide pages
BeginnersGuide/
BeginnersGuide/
Examples
BeginnersGuide/
Help
BeginnersGuide/
Mathematics
BeginnersGuide/
NonProgrammers
BeginnersGuide/
NonProgrammersChinese
BeginnersGuide/
Overview
BeginnersGuide/
OverviewChinese
BeginnersGuide/
Programmers
BeginnersGuide/Programmers
(Cpp2Python.pdf)
BeginnersGuide/
Programmers/SimpleExamples
Quiz and Exercises
After Hours Programming -
Python Quiz
CheckIO -
Online learning, testing and improving your python skills
CS Circles -
Online lessons and graded exercises
Finxter -
How good are your Python skills? Test and Training with a Daily Python Puzzle
LabEx
1000+ Python Interactive Challenges
PyGUI -
Collection of python quiz answers, Examples And GUI Tkinter Tutorials For Beginners
Pythonspot -
Python Quiz
Python Challenge -
A Python Quiz App on Android Platform
Python Based AI and Prompt Engineering
AI Engineering Academy -
Become a Certified AI Engineer with OpenAI API, HuggingFace, and Llama
Generative AI Tutorial -
Generative AI Tutorial
GitHub
Prompt Engineering Guide -
List of helpful resources
Google Gemini (Python) -
Python Library to access Google's Gemini Model
OpenAI API (Python) -
Quickstart to Access OpenAI's API (Python, Javascript, curl)
Looking for a particular Python module or application?
The first place to look is the
Python Package Index
If you can't find anything relevant in the Package Index,
try
searching python.org
- you can find anything mentioned on the Python site, in the
FAQs
, or in the newsgroup. More info:
where to search
Next, try
Google
or another search engine of your choice. Searching for "python" and some relevant keywords will usually find something helpful.
Finally, you can try posting a query to the comp.lang.python Usenet group.
Python-Related Cheat Sheets
Python Cheatsheet for Beginners:
pythoncheatsheet.org
Python:
Collection of 11 Best Python Cheat Sheets
NumPy
Collection of 10 Best NumPy Cheat Sheets
Pandas:
Collection of 7 Beautiful Pandas Cheat Sheets
Machine Learning:
Collection of 15 Machine Learning Cheat Sheets
Want to contribute?
Python is a product of the
Python Software Foundation
, a non-profit organization that holds the copyright.
Donations to the PSF
are tax-deductible in the USA, and you can donate via credit card or
PayPal
To report a bug in the Python core, use the
Python Bug Tracker
To contribute a bug fix or other patch to the Python core, read the
Python Developer's Guide
for more information about Python's development process.
To contribute to the official
Python documentation
, join the
Documentation SIG
, write to
docs@python.org
, or use the
Issue Tracker
to contribute a documentation patch.
To announce your module or application to the Python community, use
comp.lang.python.announce
. See
the guide to Python mailing lists
for more information.
To propose changes to the Python core, post your thoughts to
comp.lang.python
. If you have an implementation, follow the
Python Patch Guidelines
If you have a question are not sure where to report it, check out the
WhereDoIReportThis?
page.
CategoryDocumentation
2026-02-14 16:07