# Quickstart setup environment error **URL:** \ **Category:** API\ **Created:** [February 13, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/quickstart-setup-environment-error/625020 "2024-02-13T19:01:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![soren.iversen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/soren.iversen/32/448532_2.png) [@soren.iversen](https://community.openai.com/u/soren.iversen)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/quickstart-setup-environment-error/625020/1 "2024-02-13T19:01:42Z")
Hi I can not setup my environment in therterminal I type in python3, and it start running then I copy the code from the QuickStart and syntax error: invalid syntax comes up. Please help ---
**Author:** ![logankilpatrick](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/logankilpatrick/32/14116_2.png) [@logankilpatrick](https://community.openai.com/u/logankilpatrick)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2024, 7:05pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/quickstart-setup-environment-error/625020/2 "2024-02-13T19:05:55Z")
Hey! You follow the steps mentioned here: > **[GitHub - openai/openai-quickstart-python: Python example app from the OpenAI...](https://github.com/openai/openai-quickstart-python)** > > Python example app from the OpenAI API quickstart tutorial - openai/openai-quickstart-python I suggest using ChatGPT to debug as you go through if you need help. Please send over a specific error message if you get one. ---
**Author:** ![soren.iversen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/soren.iversen/32/448532_2.png) [@soren.iversen](https://community.openai.com/u/soren.iversen)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2024, 7:07pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/quickstart-setup-environment-error/625020/3 "2024-02-13T19:07:26Z")
Thanks the message is : File “”, line 1 python -m venv openai-env ^^^^ SyntaxError: invalid syntax ---
**Author:** ![logankilpatrick](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/logankilpatrick/32/14116_2.png) [@logankilpatrick](https://community.openai.com/u/logankilpatrick)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/quickstart-setup-environment-error/625020/4 "2024-02-13T19:10:55Z")
Do you have Python working on your computer? Have you ever used it before? ---
**Author:** ![soren.iversen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/soren.iversen/32/448532_2.png) [@soren.iversen](https://community.openai.com/u/soren.iversen)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2024, 7:14pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/quickstart-setup-environment-error/625020/5 "2024-02-13T19:14:23Z")
yes but it is some time ago, I have tried to make a print function in the terminal that worked. should I uninstall? ---
**Author:** ![Whistler.bc.ca](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/whistler.bc.ca/32/305441_2.png) [@Whistler.bc.ca](https://community.openai.com/u/Whistler.bc.ca)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2024, 8:54pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/quickstart-setup-environment-error/625020/6 "2024-02-13T20:54:14Z")
Download and re-install python from [python.org](http://python.org) then migrate yourself to an IDE like pycharm for coding and things become a lot clearer, if you haven’t already done so ---
**Author:** ![grandell1234](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/grandell1234/32/286916_2.png) [@grandell1234](https://community.openai.com/u/grandell1234)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/quickstart-setup-environment-error/625020/7 "2024-02-13T21:29:49Z")
> [@Whistler.bc.ca](#): > > pycharm for coding and things become a lot clearer I would recommend VSCode if you want a free IDE. ---
**Author:** ![\_j](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/_j/32/766292_2.png) [@\_j](https://community.openai.com/u/_j)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2024, 10:24pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/quickstart-setup-environment-error/625020/8 "2024-02-13T22:24:40Z")
Pycharm is great but also the worst, because it is not a file editor, everything is a project. IDLE from python itself works a treat if you don’t need hints of how to code. A huge uninstall and cleanup is a good idea first before that “download”, making sure after uninstalls, you have no python directories hanging around and no path or environment variables remaining. Pursue python 3.10 or 3.11 instead of the latest version. Pay close attention when you install. You can do a custom install, then install for all users within “more options” to have a system install (windows). Then `pip install` must be run from an administrator terminal of cmd or Powershell in the future to target that install. This then allows python that can be used like an installed application for file associations. ---
**Author:** ![jwatte](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/jwatte/32/127705_2.png) [@jwatte](https://community.openai.com/u/jwatte)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2024, 11:27pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/quickstart-setup-environment-error/625020/9 "2024-02-13T23:27:22Z")
It looks to me like you’re already in the python environment, but you’re trying to run the shell command “python” to start it. If you’re already at the python command line prompt, you don’t need to run the “python” command to start it. ---
**Author:** ![Whistler.bc.ca](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/whistler.bc.ca/32/305441_2.png) [@Whistler.bc.ca](https://community.openai.com/u/Whistler.bc.ca)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2024, 1:16am UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/quickstart-setup-environment-error/625020/10 "2024-02-14T01:16:14Z")
Good advice, because I presently have 3 python installs, the core OSX read only version, my Macports version for other packages, and then I added to the mix with the latest from python dot org for the free copy of pycharm which admittedly is overly complex. Everything is working fine in the 3 environments so far, pycharm, macports, and osx - but I can see the potential for things to go south. ---
**Author:** ![soren.iversen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/openai1/user_avatar/community.openai.com/soren.iversen/32/448532_2.png) [@soren.iversen](https://community.openai.com/u/soren.iversen)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://community.openai.com/t/quickstart-setup-environment-error/625020/11 "2024-02-17T21:02:15Z")
How do i setup the environment in VS code?