Release date: Sept. 1, 2026

The Python install manager for Windows is our tool for installing and managing runtimes. The traditional executable installer will stop being released with Python 3.16

This is a beta release of the next update. Provide feedback at python/pymanager on GitHub. You should uninstall your existing Python install manager before installing this prerelease. Once you have installed this beta, you will continue getting prerelease updates automatically, as well as stable releases.

For the most recent stable release, see this page. The beta is not available through the Microsoft Store or Winget.

Full documentation for the Python install manager is available in our documentation. In particular, there are troubleshooting guides, as well as instructions around administrative installs, including intended use of the legacy MSI installer. Use of the Store app or the MSIX package is recommended.

The install manager can install versions of Python as far back as 3.5, but only supports Windows 10 operating systems (or Windows Server 2022) and later. Use py list --online to see all available packages, including the embeddable distro, free-threaded builds, and packages including the standard library test suite and debug symbols.

We recommend uninstalling the Python launcher from previous installs when installing the Python install manager, as both use the py command. After installing the install manager, the first launch should run a configuration checker, which can also be manually launched with py install --configure or pymanager install --configure. Removing the install manager will not remove any installs, but the py uninstall --purge command will perform a full cleanup.

The Python install manager will automatically update within a day of an update being released. Once installed, you should not need to download the install manager again.

Please provide all feedback as issues on our GitHub repository at github.com/python/pymanager.

Full Changelog