Fixing the 'Jupyter is not recognized as an internal or external command' Error: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you trying to launch Jupyter Notebook or Jupyter Lab from the command prompt and encountering the error: "Jupyter is not recognized as an internal or external command"? Don't worry! This guide will help you resolve this issue and get your Jupyter environment up and running in no time.

In most cases, this error occurs because the system is unable to locate the Jupyter executable in the system's PATH. This guide will walk you through the process of adding Jupyter to your system's PATH and resolving the issue.

Step 1: Check if Jupyter is installed

Before we proceed with adding Jupyter to the system's PATH, let's first ensure that Jupyter is installed on your computer. Open the command prompt or terminal and type the following command:

pip show jupyter

If Jupyter is installed, you will see the installation details. If not, you can install it by running:

pip install jupyter

Step 2: Locate the Jupyter executable

Now that Jupyter is installed, we need to find the location of the Jupyter executable. Type the following command:

where jupyter

If the system can locate the Jupyter executable, it will display the path. If not, you can find the path manually by following these steps:

1. Open the Python installation directory (usually C:\Python or C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Programs\Python).
2. Navigate to the Scripts folder. The Jupyter executable should be located here.

Step 3: Add Jupyter to the system's PATH

Once you have located the Jupyter executable, follow these steps to add it to the system's PATH:

For Windows:

1. Right-click on 'This PC' or 'My Computer' and select 'Properties'.
2. Click on 'Advanced system settings'.
3. In the 'System Properties' window, click on the 'Environment Variables' button.
4. In the 'Environment Variables' window, under 'System variables', find the variable named 'Path' and click on 'Edit'.
5. Click on 'New' and add the path to the Jupyter executable (the Scripts folder from Step 2).
6. Click 'OK' to save the changes.

For macOS and Linux:

1. Open the terminal.
2. Open the .bashrc or .bash_profile file in your home directory using a text editor (e.g., nano ~/.bashrc or nano ~/.bash_profile).
3. Add the following line at the end of the file:

export PATH=$PATH:/path/to/jupyter_executable

Replace /path/to/jupyter_executable with the actual path to the Jupyter executable.

1. Save the changes and close the text editor.
2. Run source ~/.bashrc or source ~/.bash_profile to apply the changes.

Step 4: Verify the fix

Now that you have added Jupyter to the system's PATH, open a new command prompt or terminal and type:

jupyter --version

If everything is set up correctly, you should see the Jupyter version number.

FAQ

1. How do I install Jupyter Notebook on my computer?

To install Jupyter Notebook, open the command prompt or terminal and type:

pip install jupyter

2. How do I launch Jupyter Notebook?

To launch Jupyter Notebook, open the command prompt or terminal and type:

jupyter notebook

3. Can I install Jupyter using Anaconda?

Yes, you can install Jupyter using Anaconda. In fact, Jupyter comes pre-installed with Anaconda, which is a popular Python distribution for data science and machine learning.

4. How do I update Jupyter to the latest version?

To update Jupyter to the latest version, open the command prompt or terminal and type:

pip install --upgrade jupyter

5. How do I uninstall Jupyter Notebook?

To uninstall Jupyter Notebook, open the command prompt or terminal and type:

pip uninstall jupyter

Related Links

• Jupyter Notebook Documentation
• Jupyter Lab Documentation
• Anaconda Distribution
• Python.org - Installing Packages