How Can I Set Python 3.x as the Default in OS X Without Affecting System Applications?

Setting Python 3.x as the Default Version on OS X

For users running Mac OS X Mountain Lion or later versions, the default Python version installed is 2.7. To switch to the preferred Python 3.3 version, the following steps can be taken:

Avoid System-Wide Changes

Changing the system-wide default Python version may cause issues for applications dependent on Python 2. Instead, it's recommended to use aliases for specific shells.

Creating Shell Aliases

1. Open ~/.profile in a text editor.

2. Add the following line:

   alias python='python3'

3. Source ~/.profile in ~/.bash_profile or ~/.zsh_profile:

   [ -e ~/.profile ] && . ~/.profile

This ensures that the alias is available in both bash and zsh shells. Now, running the python command will execute Python 3.3. To use Python 2.7 explicitly, use the python2 command.

Additional Aliases

For convenience in launching specific Python versions, additional aliases can be created:

alias 2='python2'
alias 3='python3'

Custom Shebangs for Scripts

Finally, for Python scripts, the following shebang is recommended to force the use of Python 3:

!/usr/bin/env python3

This approach ensures that the scripts execute using Python 3, regardless of the system's default Python version.

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