How to Fix Jupyter is Not Recognized Error as an Internal or External Command

If you are trying to run Jupyter Notebook on your computer, you may encounter an error message that says "Jupyter is not recognized as an internal or external command". This error can be frustrating, but fortunately, there are several ways to fix it. In this guide, we will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to fix this error on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Windows

Step 1: Check if Jupyter is installed

The first thing you need to do is check if Jupyter is installed on your computer. To do this, open the Command Prompt and type the following command:

jupyter --version

If Jupyter is installed, you should see its version number. If you don't see anything, it means that Jupyter is not installed on your computer.

Step 2: Add Jupyter to PATH

If Jupyter is not installed on your computer, you need to install it first. You can download it from the official website: https://jupyter.org/install. Once you have installed Jupyter, you need to add it to the PATH environment variable.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open the Control Panel and click on System.
2. Click on Advanced system settings.
3. Click on Environment Variables.
4. Under System Variables, scroll down and find the PATH variable. Click on Edit.
5. Click on New and add the path to the Jupyter executable file. This should be something like "C:\Program Files\Python38\Scripts".
6. Click OK to save the changes.

Step 3: Restart the Command Prompt

After adding Jupyter to PATH, you need to restart the Command Prompt. This will ensure that the changes take effect. Once the Command Prompt is restarted, try running the "jupyter --version" command again. If Jupyter is installed correctly, you should see its version number.

Mac

Step 1: Check if Jupyter is installed

The first thing you need to do is check if Jupyter is installed on your computer. To do this, open the Terminal and type the following command:

jupyter --version

If Jupyter is installed, you should see its version number. If you don't see anything, it means that Jupyter is not installed on your computer.

Step 2: Add Jupyter to PATH

If Jupyter is not installed on your computer, you need to install it first. You can download it from the official website: https://jupyter.org/install. Once you have installed Jupyter, you need to add it to the PATH environment variable.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open the Terminal and type the following command:

nano ~/.bash_profile

1. Add the following line to the end of the file:

export PATH="$HOME/anaconda3/bin:$PATH"

1. Save the file and exit the editor.

Step 3: Restart the Terminal

After adding Jupyter to PATH, you need to restart the Terminal. This will ensure that the changes take effect. Once the Terminal is restarted, try running the "jupyter --version" command again. If Jupyter is installed correctly, you should see its version number.

Linux

Step 1: Check if Jupyter is installed

The first thing you need to do is check if Jupyter is installed on your computer. To do this, open the Terminal and type the following command:

jupyter --version

If Jupyter is installed, you should see its version number. If you don't see anything, it means that Jupyter is not installed on your computer.

Step 2: Add Jupyter to PATH

If Jupyter is not installed on your computer, you need to install it first. You can download it from the official website: https://jupyter.org/install. Once you have installed Jupyter, you need to add it to the PATH environment variable.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open the Terminal and type the following command:

nano ~/.bashrc

1. Add the following line to the end of the file:

export PATH="$HOME/anaconda3/bin:$PATH"

1. Save the file and exit the editor.

Step 3: Restart the Terminal

After adding Jupyter to PATH, you need to restart the Terminal. This will ensure that the changes take effect. Once the Terminal is restarted, try running the "jupyter --version" command again. If Jupyter is installed correctly, you should see its version number.

FAQ

Q1: What is Jupyter?

A1: Jupyter is an open-source web application that allows you to create and share documents that contain live code, equations, visualizations, and narrative text.

Q2: Why am I getting the "Jupyter is not recognized" error?

A2: This error occurs when your computer cannot find the Jupyter executable file. This can happen if Jupyter is not installed, or if it is not added to the PATH environment variable.

Q3: How do I check if Jupyter is installed on my computer?

A3: You can check if Jupyter is installed by running the "jupyter --version" command in the Command Prompt, Terminal, or Shell.

Q4: How do I install Jupyter on my computer?

A4: You can download and install Jupyter from the official website: https://jupyter.org/install.

Q5: How do I add Jupyter to PATH?

A5: To add Jupyter to PATH, you need to add the path to the Jupyter executable file to the PATH environment variable. The exact steps depend on your operating system, but they typically involve editing a configuration file and adding a line of code to it.