Python PyCharm Installation and Usage

PyCharm is a Python Integrated Development Environment (IDE) developed by JetBrains, featuring intelligent code completion and graphical debugging capabilities, supporting Windows / macOS / Linux platforms.

PyCharm is an all-in-one tool for writing code, running programs, debugging, managing projects, and collaboration — it is currently the most mainstream Python development tool in the industry.

This chapter will introduce the installation of Python and PyCharm, and guide you through creating and running your first Python program.

Stage	Content
1. Install Python	Download, install, and verify the Python interpreter
2. Install PyCharm	Download and install PyCharm Community Edition
3. Create a Project	Create a new project and Python file
4. Write and Run Code	Write hello.py and run it

---

Installing Python

Python is the interpreter required to run Python programs. PyCharm depends on it to execute code.

Installing Python involves three steps: downloading the installer, running the installation, and verifying the installation result.

Downloading Python

Open your browser and visit the Python official website download page: https://www.python.org/downloads/.

The website will usually automatically detect your operating system (Windows / macOS / Linux). Click the yellow button on the page to download the latest version.

It is recommended to choose Python 3.10 or above. Most tutorials and third-party libraries currently have good support for newer versions. Python 2.x has been discontinued since 2020 — do not use it anymore.

Installing Python

The following uses Windows as an example. macOS and Linux users should refer to the corresponding instructions.

Windows Installation Steps:

Step	Action	Description
1	Double-click the installer	Run the downloaded .exe file, e.g., python-3.12.x-amd64.exe
2	Check the PATH option	Critical step: Check Add python.exe to PATH at the bottom of the installation interface, otherwise the command line may not find Python
3	Click Install Now	Wait for the installation progress bar to complete

macOS Users:

You can double-click the .pkg installer and follow the prompts to complete the installation, or install via the Homebrew package manager:

brew install python3

Verifying Installation

Open the command line tool (Command Prompt or PowerShell on Windows, Terminal on macOS) and enter the following command:

python --version

If a version number like Python 3.12.0 is displayed, the installation was successful.

On some systems (especially macOS/Linux), the system’s built-in python command points to Python 2. In this case, you need to enter python3 --version to check the newly installed Python 3.

---

Installing PyCharm

PyCharm is developed by JetBrains and is one of the most popular Python IDEs today.

It comes in two editions. Beginners should choose the free Community edition:

Edition	Cost	Target Audience	Main Features
Professional	Paid	Professional developers	Supports web development, database tools, scientific computing, and other full-featured capabilities
Community	Free	Beginners / Students	Core features for pure Python development, fully sufficient for beginners

Downloading PyCharm

Visit the PyCharm download page on JetBrains’ official website: https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/download/.

Find the Download button on the page and click the download button for your operating system.

Installing PyCharm

The installation methods for different operating systems are as follows:

Operating System	Installation Method
Windows	Double-click the .exe installer and click “Next” through the steps. It is recommended to check “Create Desktop Shortcut”
macOS	Double-click the .dmg file and drag the PyCharm icon into the Applications folder
Linux	Extract the .tar.gz and run bin/pycharm.sh, or install via Snap

Linux Snap Installation Command:

sudo snap install pycharm-community --classic

After installation, open PyCharm. The first launch will guide you to choose a UI theme and keyboard shortcut scheme. Keep the default settings or choose according to your personal preference.

Installing PyCharm

Windows

1. Double-click the downloaded installation file (.exe).
2. In the installation wizard, choose the installation path. Using the default path is recommended.
3. Check Create Desktop Shortcut for quick access to PyCharm.
4. Click Install to begin installation.
5. After installation, click Finish to exit the installation wizard.

macOS

1. Open the downloaded .dmg file.

2. Drag the PyCharm icon into the “Applications” folder.

   

3. Find PyCharm in the “Applications” folder and double-click to launch.

   

Linux

1. Extract the downloaded .tar.gz file.

   tar -xzf pycharm-*.tar.gz

2. Enter the extracted directory and find the bin folder.

   cd pycharm-*/bin

3. Run pycharm.sh to start PyCharm.

   ./pycharm.sh

---

Configuring PyCharm

When you first start PyCharm, you will be prompted to perform some initial configuration. You can set the language and agree to the terms:

After startup, you can configure according to your personal preferences:

Choose a Theme: You can choose the “Darcula” (dark) or “Light” theme.

Configure Python Interpreter: If you have already installed Python, PyCharm will automatically detect and configure the interpreter. If not, you can add it manually.

Install Plugins: PyCharm will recommend some commonly used plugins. You can choose to install them as needed.

---

Creating Your First Project

PyCharm manages code in units of Projects. One project corresponds to one folder, which can contain multiple Python files.

Creating a New Project

After opening PyCharm, click the New Project button on the welcome screen.

In the creation window that pops up, you need to confirm two settings:

Setting	Description	Example
Location	The save path of the project folder	D:\PythonProjects\HelloWorld
Python Interpreter	The path to the Python interpreter; PyCharm usually detects it automatically	If not auto-detected, manually select python.exe or python3

After confirming everything is correct, click the Create button in the lower right corner.

Do not include Chinese characters or spaces in the project path, as this may cause some third-party tools to run abnormally. Using an all-English path is recommended.

Creating a New Python File

After the project is created, follow these steps in the PyCharm main interface to create a Python file:

Step	Action
1	In the Project panel on the left, right-click the project root directory
2	Select New → Python File
3	Enter a file name (e.g., hello_runoob) and press Enter to confirm

PyCharm will automatically generate the hello_runoob.py file and open it in the editor area on the right for you to write code.

---

Writing and Running Your First Program

After the file is created, write code and run it to see the execution effect of a Python program.

Writing Code

Enter the following code in the hello_runoob.py file:

Example

# File: hello_runoob.py
# First Python program: greet the user and interact with them

# The print() function outputs text to the screen
print("Hello, World!")

# The input() function waits for the user to enter text from the keyboard, returning a string
# The text in parentheses is the prompt message displayed to the user
name = input("Please enter your name: ")

# f-strings (formatted strings) allow embedding variables directly within strings
# Variables inside curly braces {} will be replaced with their values
print(f"Hello, {name}! Welcome to learning Python.")

This code does three things:

Code	Purpose
print("Hello, RUNOOB!")	Prints a fixed greeting to the screen
input("Please enter your name: ")	Displays a prompt on the screen, waits for the user to enter their name, and stores the input in the variable name after pressing Enter
print(f"Hello, {name}!...")	Uses an f-string to embed the value of the variable name into the greeting, generating personalized output

Running the Program

PyCharm provides multiple ways to run your program. Choose any one:

Run Method	Action
Right-click Menu	Right-click anywhere in the editor area and select Run ‘hello’
Run Button	Click the green triangle button in the upper right corner of the code editor area
Keyboard Shortcut	Windows/Linux: Shift + F10, macOS: Ctrl + R

After running, the Run window will pop up at the bottom of PyCharm, displaying the program output:

Hello, RUNOOB!
Please enter your name: runoob
Hello, runoob! Welcome to learning Python.

Process finished with exit code 0

In the input area of the Run window, type your name and press Enter to see the personalized greeting.

If you see “No Python interpreter configured” when running, it means PyCharm cannot find the Python interpreter. Go to File → Settings → Project → Python Interpreter and manually specify the Python installation path to resolve this.

---

Common Troubleshooting

When using Python and PyCharm for the first time, the following are the four most common issues and their solutions.

Problem Symptom	Possible Cause	Solution
Command line python says “not recognized as an internal or external command”	Add to PATH was not checked during installation	Re-run the installer and check the option, or manually add the Python path to the system environment variables
PyCharm says it cannot find the interpreter	PyCharm did not auto-detect Python	Manually specify the path to the Python executable in File → Settings → Project → Python Interpreter
Running code produces no response or an error	Indentation error or file not saved	Check that indentation is consistent (Python strictly requires indentation), and confirm the file is saved (unsaved files have a dot marker next to the file name)
Chinese output is garbled	File encoding is not UTF-8	Set the encoding to UTF-8 in File → Settings → Editor → File Encodings