How to use `python` again in windows PowerShell?

Question

As of yesterday I could run a python command like

python code.py

on a windows 10 powershell command line. After an update this does not work anymore and I get an error

Python was not found; run without arguments to install from the Microsoft Store, or disable this shortcut from Settings > Manage App Execution Aliases.

However python is installed:

> where.exe python
C:\Users\DALEX\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\python.exe

and that path is in the environment variable PATH

How to fix this problem so I can use python again?

Answer 1

The message is coming from python.exe itself. Specifically, you're running the fake python.exe that Windows includes, which is supposed to either automatically redirect to either the real Python or to open the Microsoft Store page.

Visit the "Settings > Manage App Execution Aliases" screen it mentions, disable the python.exe alias pointing to this redirector, and enable the python.exe alias that belongs to your actually installed Python runtime (if you had it installed from Microsoft Store). Do the same with pythonw.exe.

If your Python runtime is not from the Store, you still should disable the alias, so that the real python.exe from elsewhere in your $env:PATH would be found.