Prettier does not support Python formatting. It is designed for languages like JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, HTML, JSON, and others, but not Python.

For Python code formatting, use dedicated tools instead:

• Black: The most popular and widely adopted Python formatter. It enforces a consistent, opinionated style with minimal configuration. Install via pip install black. It supports Jupyter notebooks with pip install "black[jupyter]".

• Ruff: A modern, ultra-fast replacement for flake8, pylint, and black. It combines linting and formatting, supports Jupyter notebooks, and is significantly faster than older tools. Install via pip install ruff and configure in VS Code using the charliermarsh.ruff extension.

• autopep8 or yapf: Alternative formatters that follow PEP 8 guidelines, offering more configurability than Black.

Setting Up Formatting in VS Code:

To avoid conflicts when using Prettier for web languages and Python formatters:

1. Disable Prettier as the default formatter for Python in settings.json:

   "[python]": {
     "editor.defaultFormatter": null
   }

2. Set your preferred Python formatter:

   • For Black:

     "python.formatting.provider": "black",
     "python.formatting.blackArgs": ["--line-length=120"]

   • For Ruff (recommended):

     "editor.defaultFormatter": "charliermarsh.ruff",
     "editor.formatOnSave": true,
     "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
       "source.organizeImports": "explicit"
     }

✅ Tip: Ruff is the fastest and most modern choice for Python formatting and linting in 2026. It’s recommended over older tools like Black for new projects.