install

Install a Python version.

Usage

scoop install [version] [options]

Arguments

Argument	Required	Default	Description
`version`	No	latest	Python version (e.g., `3.12`, `3.11.8`)

Options

Option	Description
`--latest`	Install latest stable Python (default)
`--stable`	Install oldest fully-supported Python (3.10)

Version Resolution

No argument or --latest: installs latest Python 3.x
--stable: installs Python 3.10 (oldest with active security support)
3.12: installs latest 3.12.x patch
3.12.3: installs exact version

Examples

scoop install                    # Install latest
scoop install --latest           # Same as above
scoop install --stable           # Install Python 3.10
scoop install 3.12               # Install latest 3.12.x
scoop install 3.12.3             # Install exact 3.12.3

Note: Python versions are managed by uv.

Python Discovery

You don’t always need scoop install. When you run scoop create, uv searches for a matching Python in this order:

uv-managed — installed via scoop install or uv python install
System PATH — Homebrew, apt, pyenv, or any Python on your PATH
Platform-specific — Windows registry, Microsoft Store

# See all Python versions uv can find
uv python list

# Example output:
# cpython-3.13.1    /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.13     (system)
# cpython-3.12.8    ~/.local/share/uv/python/...     (managed)
# cpython-3.11.5    /usr/bin/python3.11               (system)

# Use system Python directly — no scoop install needed
scoop create myenv 3.13

If the requested version isn’t found anywhere, scoop create will fail with an error. Use scoop install <version> to download it first.

See also: Python Management for custom Python paths, environment variables, and migration.

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