Ubuntu – Python2.7 not working in 18.04, python3 is installed

18.04pythonvirtualbox

I have installed ubuntu 18.04 in virtual box and when trying python -v, it says you have python3 installed, I want to remove python 3 or disable so that can use python2.7 and run some scripts i have.

Best Answer

Python 2 is no longer installed by default in fresh installations of Ubuntu 18.04 and later. Don't remove python3 from Ubuntu 18.04 and later or else Ubuntu Software, the terminal and many other apps that are installed by default will stop working. If you removed Python 3 and now Ubuntu Software, terminal and other applications don't work follow the instructions in this answer to reinstall it and get all applications working again.

To install Python 2.7 in Ubuntu 18.04 and later open the terminal and type:

sudo apt install python2.7

To start the Python 2.7 interpreter run this command:

python2.7

To start the Python 3 interpreter run this command:

python3

Either way the Python interpreter will show a version message when it is started that shows what version of Python you are running.

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Ubuntu – Default to python3 for ‘/usr/bin/env python’

That's because env is searching python in your PATH, not on any shell builtin, or alias or function. As you have defined python as python3 as an alias, env won't find it, it will search through PATH and will resolve python to /usr/bin/python (which is python2).

You can check all the available locations of executable python, in bash, do:

type -a python

You are out of luck if you want to use an alias in shebang as by definition, shebang needs to be an full path to the interpreter executable, which the env should resolve python to when you use /usr/bin/env python. To interpret the script using python3 use the shebang:

#!/usr/bin/env python3

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Ubuntu – Default to python3 for ‘/usr/bin/env python’

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