Member Avatar for rasizzle

Hey guys. I just started using portable python and I have to say this module is great. It helped me bypass some problems transferring modules between win32 and win64 cpus.

So my question is for all you portable python users is: do you have to install python for each new computer you're at to get it to work? Or can I just install python in the USB drive?

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Short answer: you don't have to install CPython on every machine — you can carry a self-contained interpreter on a USB stick — but there are practical limits and a few reliable workflows to follow.

As found, the main portability gotcha is binary extensions: compiled modules (Windows .pyd, Linux .so) are tied to the interpreter ABI and the machine bitness. If you move between 32-bit and 64-bit hosts, or between different Python ABIs, those extensions will fail to load. (docs.python.org)

Pick the right portable build for your needs. Full portable distributions (for Windows, WinPython is a popular option) bundle an interpreter, tools and optional registration hooks so you can optionally integrate with the host OS; the official Windows “embeddable” ZIP is a much smaller runtime intended for embedding and does not include pip by default. Choose a distro that matches the target machines (32 vs 64 bit) and whether you need pip/IDLE/Start‑menu shortcuts. (winpython.github.io)

Practical package workflow (works well from a USB drive):

  • Put a complete portable distribution on the drive (or the embeddable layout plus the packages you need).
  • Install packages into a folder on the drive with pip’s --target, or set PYTHONUSERBASE and use pip install --user so packages live on the stick. Pre-download wheels into a wheelhouse for offline installs. If you rely on a virtualenv, recreate it per machine from a requirements file — venvs are not reliably portable. (pip.pypa.io)

Example commands:

# install a package directly into a folder on the USB drive
py -m pip install --target "E:\portable_python\site-packages" requests

# pre-download wheels to a wheelhouse (useful for offline installs)
py -m pip download --dest wheelhouse requests

Tips: prefer a fast USB 3.0 stick or external SSD to avoid slow I/O; keep the interpreter bitness consistent with any compiled wheels; test on a clean machine; and if you want full OS integration (file associations, IDLE shortcuts) either register the portable distro or install Python on the host. (en.wikipedia.org)

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Member Avatar for rasizzle

Nevermind. It looks like you can run it anywhere without reinstalling python. But reinstalling python will allow you to use the native IDLE.

Member Avatar for vegaseat

The idea of portable python is to run it from the usb drive, but it will run a little slower. Try out the great IDEs that come with it, like pyscripter or SPE.

Member Avatar for rasizzle

Thanks.

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