How to add Python to your system path with uv

Python versions installed by uv are automatically added to your PATH. When you run uv python install, uv places versioned Python executables (like python3.12) in a directory on your PATH (typically ~/.local/bin on macOS and Linux, or %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin on Windows).

Installing a Python version

uv python install 3.12

After running the command, the versioned executable is available:

$ python3.12 --version
Python 3.12.x

To also install unversioned python and python3 executables, use the --default flag:

uv python install --default 3.12

Then verify:

$ python --version
Python 3.12.x

You can customize the installation directory with UV_PYTHON_BIN_DIR or the XDG_BIN_HOME environment variable. To skip PATH installation entirely, pass --no-bin.

Managing multiple Python versions

You can install multiple versions at once:

uv python install 3.10 3.11 3.12

Each becomes a separate executable on PATH (python3.10, python3.11, python3.12).