Installing Pycharm Community Edition for Python 3

A step-by-step visual guide to installing Pycharm Community Edition for Python.

Installing Pycharm Community Edition for Python 3
Installing Pycharm Community Edition for Python

If you are not a fan of using VS Code as an IDE, you could also use Pycharm by Jetbrains.

In my previous article on installing VS Code, I talked about the importance of using an IDE. You can read about it here.

In this article, you will learn to install Pycharm Community Edition IDE for Windows 10. However, you can use this process for any operating system.

Step 1 - Visit Jetbrains website

Visit Google and search for Pycharm. You should be able to see the first link for downloading Pycharm.

Google search for Pycharm IDE

Click on the first link and you should reach the official download page for Pycharm IDE.

Pycharm IDE

You could also directly go to Pycharm download page on the Jetbrains website.

On the Pycharm page, click on the Download button.

Step 2 - Choosing Pycharm Community Edition

Once you click on the Download button, you should reach the download section of Pycharm.

Choose your operating system and click on the Download button under the Community edition.

Download Pycharm for your OS

The Pycharm installer will be downloaded and you will be redirected to a “Thank you for downloading” page.

Pycharm Download Success

Step 3 - Install Pycharm from the installer

Once the download is complete, run the exe file by double-clicking. The setup wizard will open up. Click “Next >”.

Pycharm Setup Process

You will be shown the default path where Pycharm will be installed. You could change it if you want. However, for the purpose of this article, we will stick with the default.

Pycharm Installation Folder

You may also choose to create a Desktop shortcut and add Pycharm to your PATH.

Adding Pycharm to PATH

In the “Choose Start Menu Folder” section, choose “Jetbrains” and click on the Install button. Regarding the start menu folder, you could also create a folder of your own choice.

Folder to install Pycharm 

Once the installation begins, wait for it to finish.

Pycharm Installation in progress

Step 4 - Create your first program with Pycharm

Double click on the Pycharm Desktop icon. The introductory screen will open up. Click on “New Project”.

Pycharm Welcome screen

In the “New Project” screen, you need to choose the location where you want to create your Python files. For the purpose of this article, a trial folder in Desktop is chosen.

You also need to set the Python interpreter. You will use the Python interpreter installed on your machine. Click on the folder button (...).

Project Folder for Pycharm

Once you click on the folder button, you will be taken to the “Add Python Interpreter” screen. Here you can choose the relevant installation from the dropdown.

Once you have added your Python interpreter, click on the “Create” button.

Step 5 - Write your Python code in Pycharm

Once you have created your Python project, you will be taken to the project screen.

As mentioned earlier, a trial folder in the Desktop is being used as the project folder. So you will create your Python files in that particular folder.

Pycharm directory for your project

Right-click on the “trial” folder, then choose “New” and then click on “Python file”.

You will be asked to name your python file. Give any name of your choice. I will be naming it test.py.

Create a new Python file in your project

Since you are choosing to create a Python file above, you don’t need to add the .py extension to your file name. Just provide the filename without the .py extension.

Once your file is created, you can print("Hello World!") and run your code.

Your first code as a Python programmer - Hello World!

You should see the result of your code, at the bottom of your Pycharm window.

Output console of Pycharm

Step 6 - Change appearance of Pycharm

If you don’t like the Dark Theme of Pycharm, you can change it to have a different appearance. Click on “File” and then “Settings” .

Settings in Pycharm

Once you are in the Settings dialog box, click on “Appearance” in the left column and then choose the theme of your choice from the drop-down. Click on “Apply” and “Okay”.

Changing appearance theme of Pycharm

Check out the installation guide for VS Code.

Installing Visual Studio Code(VS Code) for Python 3
A step-by-step visual guide to installing VS Code IDE for Python.

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