For people who need use portable Python on Windows, WinPython is a good choice. WinPython is a free open-source portable distribution of Python. The project is hosted on github. It is also a good alternative to Portable Python, which is not being developed anymore.

In this post I’ll show you how could you install additional packages to WinPython.

Install WinPython

WinPython is portable. It means that you can download WinPython from the WinPython download page, add it to your system PATH, and start using it without any installation.

• Unzip the downloaded WinPython Package to a local directory, eg. C:\WinPython.
• Add the local directory path to your system’s PATH variable. You can use Windows command set or setx.

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   set PATH=C:\WinPython\;%PATH%

Now you can open a Windows cmd prompt, and test your installed python version.

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where python
>>> C:\WinPython\python.exe

Install a package

You can install a Python Package to WinPython using pip. If you have other versions of Python installed on your computer, you’ll need make sure the pip you use actually is the one WinPython provides.

Where is the pip?

It’s in the Scripts directory of the WinPython path. For example:

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C:\WinPython\Scripts

Now you can use the WinPython pip to install additional Python packages.

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<WinPython Path>\Scripts\pip install <package name>

If the installation successfully done, you will find the installed packages in WinPython’s library path.

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<WinPython Path>\Lib\site-packages\<package name>

That’s it! Your Python package is ready to use!