Installing Python, Pip, and JupyterLab on Ubuntu (Beginner Friendly)

Many beginners run into this issue when setting up Python on Ubuntu:

pip: command not found

python: command not found

I recently faced the same issue while trying to install JupyterLab on Ubuntu. Here’s the quick fix.

Step 1: Update Your System

Open the terminal and run:

sudo apt update

This refreshes the package list on your system.

Step 2: Install Python and Pip

Install Python along with pip and virtual environment support:

sudo apt install python3 python3-pip python3-venv

After installation, verify everything:

python3 --version
pip3 --version

Step 3: Make python Command Work (Optional)

Some systems only recognize python3 instead of python.

To enable the python command:

sudo apt install python-is-python3

Now both commands should work:

python --version
pip --version

Then create and activate a virtual environment:

python3 -m venv jupyter-env
source jupyter-env/bin/activate

Step 4: Install JupyterLab

Now install JupyterLab:

pip3 install jupyterlab

Launch it using:

jupyter lab

or:

python3 -m jupyterlab

Your browser should automatically open at:

http://localhost:8888/lab

Why JupyterLab?

JupyterLab is one of the best tools for:

• Data Science
• Machine Learning
• AI Experiments
• Interactive Python Coding
• Research and Visualization

It provides a clean browser-based coding environment with notebooks, terminals, and file management.

Final Thoughts

If you are starting your Python or AI journey on Ubuntu, setting up Python correctly is the first important step. Once Python, pip, and JupyterLab are installed, you’re ready to explore libraries like:

• NumPy
• Pandas
• Matplotlib
• TensorFlow
• PyTorch

Happy coding 🚀