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Installing VSCode and Python

Welcome back to Bite-Sized! In this tutorial, we’ll guide you step-by-step through installing Visual Studio Code (VSCode) and Python on your computer. We’ll finish by running a simple “Hello, World!” program to confirm everything works perfectly.

Step 1: Installing VSCode​

  1. Go to the official website: code.visualstudio.com.
  2. The site should detect your operating system automatically. Click the download button to get the installer.
  3. Run the installer:
    • Windows users: Make sure to check “Add to PATH” during installation. This allows you to run VSCode commands from the terminal easily.
  4. Once installed, launch VSCode and get ready for coding!
tip

You can customize VSCode with themes and extensions to match your workflow. We'll cover recommended extensions in upcoming videos.

Step 2: Installing Python​

  1. Visit python.org/downloads to download the latest stable version of Python for your OS.
  2. Run the Python installer:
    • Important: Check the box “Add Python to PATH” before clicking Install Now. This lets you run Python commands from your terminal or command prompt.
  3. After installation, open your terminal (Command Prompt on Windows, Terminal on Mac/Linux) and type: 
    python --version
    This should display the installed Python version, confirming the setup was successful.

Step 3: Testing Python in VSCode​

  1. Open VSCode.

  2. Click on the Extensions icon on the sidebar (looks like four squares) and search for “Python” by Microsoft. Install this extension — it adds Python support and debugging tools.

  3. Create a new file in VSCode, save it as hello.py.

  4. In the file, type the classic first program:

    print("Hello, World!")

  5. Run your program by clicking the play button in the upper right corner or right-click the editor and select Run Python File in Terminal.

  6. If you see Hello, World! printed in the terminal, congratulations — your setup works!

tip

In the lower right corner of VSCode, you’ll see which Python interpreter is active — useful if you have multiple Python versions installed.

Additional Resources​

danger

If commands like python or code don’t work in your terminal, double-check that you selected Add to PATH during installation.

What’s Next?​

Next up, we’ll install Git — the tool that powers GitHub — and introduce virtual environments to help manage your Python project dependencies.

Thanks for watching and happy coding!