How to run a Python file in VS Code on Mac: steps for macOS beginners

Most people who search this question have the same problem. They installed VS Code, opened a .py file, and got stuck. The file either did not run, or the output went somewhere they could not see. This guide fixes that in one pass. You will set up Python, choose the interpreter VS Code uses, and run a file in several ways.

What you need before you start

You need a Mac, Visual Studio Code, and Python 3 installed on purpose. Microsoft's macOS setup page lists Universal, Intel, and Apple silicon builds of VS Code. It does not state a minimum macOS version, so check your macOS version against the current VS Code docs if your Mac is older.

• A Mac with Apple silicon or Intel. VS Code ships builds for both.
• Visual Studio Code, stable release. The current stable release is 1.145.
• Homebrew, used to install python3 from Terminal.
• The Python extension by Microsoft, with the ID ms-python.python.
• A folder for practice scripts, such as Documents/python-practice.

The list looks short, but the Python part trips up most people. Apple includes a Python with macOS. Microsoft's Python tutorial says that system Python is not supported. Install a separate Python 3 with Homebrew, and VS Code can use that one instead.

Install Python 3 with Homebrew, not the system Python

Open Terminal. Press ⌘Space, type Terminal, and press Return. You can also open Applications, then Utilities, then Terminal. Run brew install python3 and wait for it to finish.

Next, confirm the install. Run python3 --version. It prints the version of Python that your Terminal finds first. If the line starts with Python 3, you are set. If it says command not found, the Homebrew install did not finish, or the Terminal window was open before the install.

You will reuse all three commands. The first installs Python, the second checks it, and the third adds a package later in this guide. Keep the Terminal window open while you work through the steps.

Add the Python extension

The Python extension gives VS Code its run buttons, environment tools, and Python debugger. Open the Extensions view from the Activity Bar on the left. Search for Python, pick the extension by Microsoft, and check that its ID is ms-python.python before you install it.

Select the Python interpreter in VS Code

An interpreter is the Python program that runs your file. VS Code uses the interpreter you select. That choice drives the play button and the debugger, so it matters more than anything else on this page.

You can pick it in two ways. Press ⇧⌘P, type Python: Select Interpreter, and choose the Python 3 you installed with Homebrew. Or look at the bottom status bar, which shows the Python version, and click it to switch.

For a clean setup on one project, use Python: Create Environment from the Command Palette. Choose Venv, pick an interpreter, and VS Code creates an environment for the folder. Quick Create, started with the + in the Environment Managers view, names the environment .venv and uses the latest Python.

Run Python: Select Interpreter again after you install or upgrade Python. That confirms which copy VS Code will use. It is a quick habit that saves a lot of confusion later.

Create hello.py and click Run Python File

Open the folder that will hold your scripts with File > Open Folder. In the Explorer sidebar, click the New File button on the folder's toolbar, and name the file hello.py. Then type this line: print('Hello from VS Code')

Press ⌘S to save. Then click the play button labeled Run Python File at the top right of the editor. VS Code opens a terminal in the bottom panel, runs python3 hello.py, and prints Hello from VS Code there.

Microsoft uses two labels for this button. The tutorial calls it Run Python File. The quick start calls it Run Python File in Terminal. Both start the same run, so look for the play icon in the top right corner of the editor.

Try a second file to test input. Create greet.py with name = input('Your name: ') on one line and print('Hello, ' + name) on the next. Run it, type your name at the prompt in the terminal, and press Return.

Other ways to run a Python file in VS Code

• Right-click in the editor and choose Run Python > Run Python File in Terminal. This saves the file first.
• Select one or more lines and press Shift+Enter. VS Code sends the selection to a Python terminal.
• Open the Command Palette with ⇧⌘P and run Python: Start Terminal REPL for an interactive Python prompt.
• Open the integrated terminal with ⌃⇧` and type python3 hello.py yourself.

Shift+Enter is useful for testing one idea at a time. Smart Send can also send lines you did not mean to run. If that happens, set python.REPL.enableREPLSmartSend to false in your settings. Microsoft's tutorial gives this same fix.

Start Terminal REPL suits exploring a library. It gives you a prompt where each line runs as you type it, using the interpreter you selected. Use the play button when you want the whole file to run from the top.

Check which Python actually ran

Your Terminal and VS Code can use different Pythons. The terminal runs whatever comes first on your PATH. VS Code runs the interpreter shown in the status bar. When those two differ, results look confusing, and a script can pass in one place and fail in the other.

To see the truth, add two lines to the top of hello.py: import sys and print(sys.executable). Run the file. The path it prints is the interpreter that ran your code. Compare that path with the version shown in the status bar.

If the two do not match, select the interpreter again with Python: Select Interpreter. Then open a new terminal, because a terminal that was already open can keep an older Python on its path.

Run with the debugger when a script misbehaves

The play button runs your file from top to bottom and then stops. The debugger pauses at lines you choose, so you can watch values change. Press F9 on a line to set a breakpoint. Then press F5 and choose Python File.

Once the run pauses, press F10 to step over a line and F11 to step into a function. Press ⇧F11 to step out of the current function. This helps when a script has too many print calls to read.

Install a package before you import it

If a script imports a package that is not installed, Python stops with ModuleNotFoundError. The error means the selected interpreter does not have that package. Your Mac may have it in another Python, but VS Code does not use that one.

Install the package into the selected interpreter. In the Python sidebar, open Environment Managers, right-click your environment, and choose Manage Packages. Or press ⌃⇧` to open a terminal and run python3 -m pip install numpy.

Try it on hello.py. Add import numpy on the first line and run the file. You should see ModuleNotFoundError. Install numpy, run again, and the error should go away.

Common mistakes that stop a script from running

• Running an unsaved file. Save with ⌘S first, or use Run Python File in Terminal, which saves for you.
• Running the wrong interpreter. Check the version in the bottom status bar before you click play.
• Using a Python installed while VS Code was open. Restart VS Code, then try again.
• Getting an unwanted completion after typing as in an import. Type a space before you press Return.
• Assuming the system Python is fine. Microsoft says it is not supported, so use Homebrew.
• Expecting the web version to match the desktop app. It has real limits, covered below.

Most failures come from one of these. Check the status bar first. It shows the active interpreter at a glance, and that answers most questions before you dig into settings.

Running Python in the browser instead

Microsoft also documents an experimental Python for the Web option. You open insiders.vscode.dev with ?vscode-coi= added to the address, in Edge or Chrome. The source must be local, or a GitHub repository read through the GitHub Repositories extension.

The limits matter. The web version has no socket support, no thread or async support, no pip support, and no native Python modules. Use the desktop app on your Mac for anything that needs packages or networking.

Check your VS Code version

Microsoft's updates page lists 1.145 as the latest stable release, dated November 4, 2026. It also lists 1.144 and 1.143 before it, but it does not show their dates. Microsoft's pages do not describe a Mac-specific menu change in that range.

Labels do shift between releases. If your window says something slightly different, look for the same idea: the play button, the Command Palette, or the status bar. The steps still apply when the wording moves.

Where to go next

Once the play button works, learn the integrated terminal. It is where your script output lives, and you can run scripts from it. Open it with ⌃⇧` and read the integrated terminal guide.

If you want to run scripts from any folder, install the code command first. The install the code command guide covers the Command Palette steps. Then use open a folder from the terminal to start a project from the shell.

Add extensions carefully. Read how to install an extension in VS Code on Mac before you add a second one, so you know where each setting lives.