I'd recommend heading over to the Python website and downloading Python from there. Just follow all the steps you are given which should be quite easy to follow and you have Python installed!

Answer from user13785870 on Stack Overflow
🌐
Python documentation
docs.python.org › 3 › using › mac.html
5. Using Python on macOS — Python 3.14.4 documentation
File integrity information (checksum, ... page. Installer packages and their contents are signed and notarized with Python Software Foundation Apple Developer ID certificates to meet macOS Gatekeeper requirements....
🌐
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 255478772
Do I have Python and if so do I need it? - Apple Community
February 15, 2024 - If you don't have Python, it will ask if you want to download the Command Line tools so you can run Python. If this happens, you can just say no. Note that there are several different command line tools that are actually proxies that work the same way. The most important one is probably the "git" tool, and perhaps "clang". ... Apple dropped the Python 2.7.16 distribution from macOS 12.3 and later.
🌐
Medium
medium.com › marvelous-mlops › the-rightway-to-install-python-on-a-mac-f3146d9d9a32
The right way to install Python on a Mac | by Raphaël Hoogvliets | Marvelous MLOps | Medium
November 4, 2023 - What sets pyenv apart is that it allows developers to pin a specific Python version to a project, ensuring unwavering consistency in the project’s Python environment — even when sharing work with collaborators. Another advantage of pyenv is its user-centric design. Traditionally, installing global packages might require sudo permissions, potentially altering the system configuration. However, pyenv installations and packages are nestled safely in the user’s directory, keeping system-wide settings untouched.
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnpython › what does a secure python installation look like?
r/learnpython on Reddit: What does a secure Python installation look like?
April 20, 2025 -

Python's great, everyone cheers on Python, every weird essential desktop application at the office relies on a Python install, every analyst who has hit the limits of Excel wants to use Python. I don't see anyone really talking about the security implications of having a modular scripting stack with a history of add-on compromise installed on every production workstation.

How do you secure a Python install, what do you allow in it, and how do you cope with the eleventy hundred Python modules users claim they need?

🌐
Opensource.com
opensource.com › article › 19 › 5 › python-3-default-mac
The right and wrong way to set Python 3 as default on a Mac | Opensource.com
... Now that we know what not to do, let's look at what we could do. There are a couple options when we think about common installation patterns for applications on macOS. Python's website has a macOS Python 3 installer we can download and use.
🌐
Quora
quora.com › Is-Python-safe-for-my-computer
Is Python safe for my computer? - Quora
Answer (1 of 6): Considering Python is in regular use across tens of thousands of computer systems across the world; everything from desktop machines, to internet servers, to small devices on the Internet of Things. There is no reason to suspect that Python is any less safe than any other softwa...
Find elsewhere
🌐
The Hitchhiker's Guide to Python
docs.python-guide.org › starting › install3 › osx
Installing Python 3 on Mac OS X — The Hitchhiker's Guide to Python
The version shipped with OS X may be out of date from the official current Python release, which is considered the stable production version. Let’s install a real version of Python. Before installing Python, you’ll need to install GCC. GCC can be obtained by downloading Xcode, the smaller Command Line Tools (must have an Apple account) or the even smaller OSX-GCC-Installer package.
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnpython › python installation questions on macos
r/learnpython on Reddit: Python installation questions on macOS
October 20, 2022 -

I just installed Python 3 using the installer from Python.org and have a few questions about some fundamental Python/OS concepts. I'm on macOS 12.6 (Monterey). These might be a mixture of OS questions and Python questions...

Python vs. Python3 command

I am positive that I don't have any other versions of Python installed on my machine other than Python 3.10. The 'python' command does nothing in the terminal window but 'python3' does. Why is that? Can I change something so that I can use 'python' instead? I think I may need to do something with my PATH or something in zsh?

SSL Root Certificates

During installation, the Python installer mentions the ability to install SSL Root Certificates. What are these and why are they necessary?

Thanks!

🌐
Dataquest
dataquest.io › blog › installing-python-on-mac
Tutorial: Installing Python on Mac – Dataquest
March 14, 2025 - You should see output indicating that Python 3.10.x is installed. If you prefer not to use Homebrew or need a specific Python distribution directly from the source, downloading Python on Mac from the official Python website is also a reliable method.
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnpython › how should you install python on mac os?
r/learnpython on Reddit: How SHOULD you install Python on Mac OS?
April 18, 2025 -

What do you think is the best way to install and maintain python and Jupyter lab on Mac in 2025?

It’s a mess on my current machine. Quickly running python in a terminal for a quick job uses a different version with different packages than Jupyter lab. Typing “python3” in the terminal doesn’t default to the most recent. At some point anaconda was installed.

What’s the cleanest way for a new machine to have an organized python environment? 90% of what I do is in Jupyter lab.

🌐
Softonic
python.en.softonic.com › home › mac › development & it › development kits
Python for Mac - Download
February 20, 2026 - It is safe to download. ... Python has been thoroughly scanned by our advanced security systems and verified by industry-leading partners. This file comes from the official developer and has passed all our security checks, showing no signs of ...
Rating: 9/10 ​ - ​ 2 votes
🌐
Python.org
discuss.python.org › python help
Help with WARNING after installing Python 3.9.5 for MacOS 10.9 or later - Python Help - Discussions on Python.org
May 25, 2021 - Hi all I’m totally new to programming, but have just decided to learn about it. After installing Python, I followed the instructions to install a curated set of SSL certificates from the Cerifi project by double-clicki…
🌐
Snyk
snyk.io › articles › how-to-install-python-on-macos
How to Install Python on macOS | How to run Python on mac Terminal | Snyk
February 18, 2025 - Snyk's Python Code Checker to detect vulnerabilities and code issues automatically. This tool helps identify security risks, maintain best coding practices, and improve overall code health. By integrating Snyk’s Python code checker's scanning capabilities, developers can write safer Python applications with confidence.
🌐
Python
python.org › downloads › macos
Python Releases for macOS | Python.org
Notice: This page displays a fallback because interactive scripts did not run. Possible causes include disabled JavaScript or failure to load scripts or stylesheets. Donate · ≡ Menu · A A · Smaller · Larger · Reset · Socialize · LinkedIn · Mastodon · Chat on IRC · Twitter · Python>>> Downloads>>> macOS ·
Top answer
1 of 3
64

So, I ended up removing all python installations, and reinstalling things via Homebrew.

  1. which python ---> /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/python Delete the entire Python.framework directory from /Library/Frameworks.
  2. which python3 ---> /usr/local/bin/python3 Delete the entire python3 directory.
  3. I was a bit nervous about the symlinks. I initially renamed the ones that were obviously going to cause me trouble. It turns out that was unnecessary. Instead, just use:

    $ brew doctor
    Warning: Broken symlinks were found. Remove them with 'brew prune':
      /usr/local/bin/python-32
      /usr/local/bin/python2-32
      /usr/local/bin/python2.7-32
      /usr/local/bin/python2_DNU
      /usr/local/bin/python_DNU
      /usr/local/bin/pythonw-32
      /usr/local/bin/pythonw2-32
      /usr/local/bin/pythonw2.7-32
    

    So, brew prune (or brew cleanup --prune in newer versions of Homebrew) worked perfectly. It removed all of the above symlinks.

  4. Reinstall python and python3 via homebrew. All done.

At no time did I touch the python installation located within the /System folder.

Oh, and to be clear. The answer to the original question is

Yes, you can trust the old references, as written! That guidance is still valid.

2 of 3
32

My Python version was 3.6, I wanted to upgrade to 3.7 (In case you have similar requirements). I am using macOS version 10.12.6 and simply uninstalling and re-installing worked for me:

brew uninstall --ignore-dependencies python3

Then:

brew install python3

and done:

python3
Python 3.7.2 (default, Jan 13 2019, 12:51:54) 
[Clang 9.0.0 (clang-900.0.39.2)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
🌐
MacPaw
macpaw.com › how to › optimization › apps
Here’s how to install Python on your Mac
June 7, 2023 - When you install Python and VS Code on your Mac, they will request access to protected folders on your Mac, like Documents. And when you use Google Colab, it will store cookies and other data on your machine.
🌐
eddieantonio/blog
eddieantonio.ca › blog › 2020 › 01 › 26 › installing-python-on-macos
Installing Python on macOS (without going insane) | eddieantonio/blog
January 26, 2020 - This is okay for beginners, or people who only touch Python every so often. However, for my use cases, where I’m testing my code in multiple versions of Python, and have multiple virtual environments, this becomes bad news. If you haven’t used Homebrew to install things on your Mac, go get it right now!