|

How to Install Jupyter Notebook on Windows 10 and 11

Installing Jupyter Notebook on Windows 10 and 11 using Python and PIP

To install Jupyter Notebook on Windows 10 or 11, open Command Prompt or Windows Terminal after installing Python 3.12 or newer, then run pip install notebook for the classic Notebook interface or pip install jupyterlab for the modern JupyterLab experience. Launch it by typing jupyter notebook or jupyter lab and pressing Enter — your default browser will open the interface automatically.

Applies to: Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2) | Last updated: May 15, 2026

How to Install Jupyter Notebook on Windows 10 and 11

Key Takeaways

  • You need Python 3.12 or newer with PIP installed first — modern Jupyter dropped Python 3.8 support, and Python’s official Windows installer bundles PIP by default when you tick “Add python.exe to PATH”
  • Two install paths cover most use cases — pip install notebook for the classic Jupyter Notebook 7 interface, or pip install jupyterlab for JupyterLab, which is now the default Jupyter experience as of 2024 onwards
  • Anaconda is an alternative if you want a one-installer setup with Jupyter, Python, NumPy, Pandas, and hundreds of data-science packages preinstalled — but it adds 3 GB of disk usage and is overkill for simple notebook work
  • Use py -m pip install instead of pip install if you have multiple Python versions on your system — this avoids accidentally installing into the wrong interpreter
  • Launching is one command — jupyter notebook or jupyter lab from any folder opens the interface in your default browser at http://localhost:8888

In This Guide

This guide covers three different ways to install Jupyter on Windows:

Quick Steps

  1. Install Python 3.12 or newer from python.org — make sure you tick “Add python.exe to PATH” during installation
  2. Open Command Prompt (search “CMD” in the Start menu) or Windows Terminal
  3. Verify your Python and PIP install with python --version and pip --version
  4. Run pip install notebook for classic Jupyter, or pip install jupyterlab for the modern interface
  5. Launch with jupyter notebook or jupyter lab — your browser opens to the interface automatically

What Is Jupyter Notebook and Why Use It?

Jupyter Notebook is a browser-based environment where you write Python code in “cells” and run them one at a time, seeing the output (text, tables, plots, images) appear directly below each cell. The same notebook file can mix executable code, formatted text, equations, and visualizations — which is why it became the standard tool for data science, machine learning, scientific computing, and Python tutorials.

Files are saved as .ipynb documents and can be shared anywhere — GitHub renders them inline, Kaggle uses them as competition workbooks, and Google Colab is essentially Jupyter running in the cloud. If you are learning Python or working with data, getting Jupyter set up locally on Windows is one of the most useful things you can do.

Before You Start: Install Python and PIP

Jupyter is a Python package, so Python and PIP must be installed first. The current stable Python series is 3.13, and the minimum supported version for current Jupyter releases is Python 3.10. Anything older than 3.10 will fail to install the latest Jupyter packages.

Download the official Windows installer from python.org. During installation, tick the box that says Add python.exe to PATH at the bottom of the first installer screen — this is the single most common thing people forget, and it is what makes python and pip work from any folder in Command Prompt.

If you need a step-by-step walkthrough, I have full guides for both pieces:

Once Python is installed, open a fresh Command Prompt window and confirm everything is working:

python --version
pip --version

You should see something like Python 3.13.1 and pip 24.3.1 from ... (python 3.13). If you instead get “‘python’ is not recognized as an internal or external command,” PATH was not set during install — easiest fix is to rerun the Python installer, choose Modify, and tick the PATH option.

Tip: If you have multiple Python versions installed, use the py launcher to be explicit about which one — py -3.13 -m pip install notebook installs Jupyter specifically into Python 3.13. This avoids the “I installed it but it is not there” headache where you accidentally installed into the wrong interpreter.

Method 1: Install Classic Jupyter Notebook with PIP

The classic notebook package gives you the traditional Jupyter Notebook 7 interface — the simple file browser plus single-document editor that most tutorials reference. It is the lightest install, around 90 MB, and is the right choice if you are following along with a course or notebook that was built for the classic Notebook UI.

In Command Prompt, run:

pip install notebook

PIP will download the Notebook package along with its dependencies — IPython, Jupyter Server, Jinja2, Tornado, and a few others. The whole thing takes 30 to 60 seconds on a typical broadband connection. When it finishes, you will see a “Successfully installed” line listing every package PIP just added.

Command Prompt running pip install jupyter to install Jupyter Notebook on Windows

To launch Notebook, type:

jupyter notebook

Press Enter and Jupyter starts a local web server on http://localhost:8888 and opens it in your default browser. The file tree you see is whichever folder you were in when you ran the command — so cd to your project folder first if you want Jupyter to start there.

Jupyter Notebook interface opened in browser showing file list and New menu

Method 2: Install JupyterLab (Modern Interface)

JupyterLab is the next-generation Jupyter interface and is the Jupyter project’s recommended default as of recent releases. You get a multi-tab editor, a sidebar file browser, a built-in terminal, integrated markdown previews, and the ability to view CSV and JSON files alongside your notebooks. If you are starting fresh in 2026, this is the version most data scientists are using day-to-day.

Install JupyterLab with:

pip install jupyterlab

The download is about 30 MB larger than classic Notebook because of the additional UI components, but it installs in roughly the same amount of time. JupyterLab pulls in the classic notebook server underneath, so you can run either interface from the same install — they are not mutually exclusive.

Launch JupyterLab with:

jupyter lab

The interface opens on http://localhost:8888/lab by default. If you ever want to switch back to the classic Notebook view from a JupyterLab session, just change the URL from /lab to /tree.

Method 3: Install Jupyter via Anaconda

Anaconda is a Python distribution that bundles Jupyter, NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, SciPy, scikit-learn, and around 250 other data-science packages in a single 3 GB installer. If you are doing serious data science and want every common library available out of the box without managing PIP, this is the path. If you just want Jupyter, skip Anaconda — it is overkill and consumes a lot of disk.

Download Anaconda from anaconda.com/download. The Windows installer is around 1 GB. Run it, accept the defaults, and at the end you will have an Anaconda Navigator shortcut in your Start menu.

Two ways to launch Jupyter once Anaconda is installed:

  • Anaconda Navigator — Open it from the Start menu, click Launch under Jupyter Notebook or JupyterLab
  • Anaconda Prompt — Open the “Anaconda Prompt” Start menu entry (not regular Command Prompt — Anaconda has its own shell), then type jupyter notebook or jupyter lab

Note: Anaconda licensing changed in 2024 — commercial use by organizations with 200+ employees now requires a paid license. Personal, educational, and small-team use remains free. If license terms matter to you, check Anaconda’s current Terms of Service before installing at scale, or use Miniconda (the free lightweight Anaconda alternative) instead.

How to Update or Uninstall Jupyter

Both Notebook and JupyterLab update through PIP. Run these from Command Prompt:

pip install --upgrade notebook
pip install --upgrade jupyterlab

To uninstall, use:

pip uninstall notebook
pip uninstall jupyterlab

PIP will list every file it is about to remove and ask you to confirm with y. The dependencies it pulled in originally (IPython, Tornado, Jinja2, and so on) stick around — those are often used by other Python projects, so PIP does not auto-remove them. If you want a complete cleanup, uninstall jupyter, jupyter_core, and jupyter_server as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Jupyter Notebook used for?

Jupyter Notebook is an interactive Python environment used heavily for data science, machine learning, statistical analysis, scientific research, and Python teaching. You write code in cells, run them one at a time, and see results (numbers, tables, charts, images) inline. The notebook files (.ipynb) mix code, results, and explanatory text in a single shareable document.

Do I need to install Anaconda to use Jupyter Notebook?

No. Installing with PIP (pip install notebook or pip install jupyterlab) is faster, lighter, and gives you the same Jupyter functionality. Anaconda is convenient if you also want NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, scikit-learn, and 200+ other packages preinstalled, but it is not required to run Jupyter.

What is the difference between Jupyter Notebook and JupyterLab?

Jupyter Notebook is the classic single-document interface that launched in 2014. JupyterLab is the modern replacement — a multi-tab IDE-style interface with a sidebar file browser, integrated terminal, drag-and-drop cells between notebooks, and inline previews for CSV, JSON, and image files. Both run the same underlying notebook engine, so .ipynb files work identically in either. JupyterLab is now the default Jupyter project recommendation for new users.

Can I run Jupyter Notebook without Python installed?

Not locally — Jupyter is a Python application, so Python must be installed on the same machine. The one exception is cloud-hosted Jupyter (Google Colab, Kaggle Notebooks, or Binder), where Python and Jupyter run on remote servers and you access them through your browser without installing anything locally.

Why does “pip install jupyter” fail with a permissions error?

This usually happens when Python was installed system-wide and PIP tries to write to a protected folder. Two fixes work: run Command Prompt as Administrator and retry, or install for just your user with pip install --user notebook. The --user approach is generally safer because it does not need admin rights and keeps your install isolated to your Windows account.

How do I stop Jupyter Notebook?

Go back to the Command Prompt window where you ran jupyter notebook or jupyter lab and press Ctrl + C. Jupyter will ask you to confirm shutdown — press y and Enter, and the server stops. Closing the browser tab on its own does not stop Jupyter; the server keeps running until you Ctrl + C it.

If you are setting up a fresh Windows install for data-science or development work, you might also be interested in installing Java, setting up VS Code, or using Winhance to debloat Windows 11 before installing your development tools.

Similar Posts