Python 3.9 Silent Install (How-To Guide)

Python is an interpreted, high-level and general-purpose programming language. Python’s design philosophy emphasizes code readability with its notable use of significant whitespace. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of Python 3.9 from the command line using the EXE installer.

How to Install Python 3.9 Silently

Python 3.9 (32-bit) Silent Install (EXE)

1. Navigate to: https://www.python.org/ftp/python/
2. Select the 3.9.x version of your choice
3. Download the python-3.9.x.exe to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
4. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
5. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
6. Enter the following command:
   • python-3.9.x.exe /quiet InstallAllUsers=1 PrependPath=1
7. Press Enter

After a few moments you will find Python entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

Python 3.9 (64-bit) Silent Install (EXE)

1. Navigate to: https://www.python.org/ftp/python/
2. Select the 3.9.x version of your choice
3. Download the python-3.9.x-amd64.exe to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
4. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
5. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
6. Enter the following command:
   • python-3.9.x-amd64.exe /quiet InstallAllUsers=1 PrependPath=1
7. Press Enter

After a few moments you will find Python entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download links provided take you directly to the vendors website. Continue reading if you are interested in additional details and configurations.

Additional Configurations

Create an Installation Log File

The Python 3.9 installer offers the option to generate a log file during installation to assist with troubleshooting should any problems arise. You can use the following command to create a verbose log file with details about the installation.

Python 3.9 (32-bit) Silent Install with Logging

Python 3.9 (64-bit) Silent Install with Logging

Change Default Installation Directory

You can change the default installation directory by using the following command line parameters. In this example, I’m installing Python 3.9 to “C:\Python39”

Python 3.9 32-bit (EXE)

Python 3.9 64-bit (EXE)

Exclude Python Documentation

Python 3.9 (32-bit) Silent Install (EXE) Excluding Documentation

Python 3.9 (64-bit) Silent Install (EXE) Excluding Documentation

Exclude Pip (Tool for Installing and Managing Python Packages)

Python 3.9 (32-bit) Silent Install (EXE) Excluding Pip

Python 3.9 (64-bit) Silent Install (EXE) Excluding Pip

Exclude Tkinter and IDLE Development Environment

Python 3.9 (32-bit) Silent Install (EXE) Excluding Tkinter and IDLE

Python 3.9 (64-bit) Silent Install (EXE) Excluding Tkinter and IDLE

Exclude Python Standard Library Test Suite

Python 3.9 (32-bit) Silent Install (EXE) Excluding Test Suite

Python 3.9 (64-bit) Silent Install (EXE) Excluding Test Suite

Exclude Python Launcher for Windows

Python 3.9 (32-bit) Silent Install (EXE) Excluding Python Launcher

Python 3.9 (64-bit) Silent Install (EXE) Excluding Python Launcher

Associate Files with Python

Python 3.9 (32-bit) Silent Install (EXE) with File Association

Python 3.9 (64-bit) Silent Install (EXE) with File Association

Exclude Shortcuts for Interpreter, Documentation and IDLE

Python 3.9 (32-bit) Silent Install (EXE) Excluding Shortcuts

Python 3.9 (64-bit) Silent Install (EXE) Excluding Shortcuts

Exclude Python from PATH Environment Variable

Python 3.9 (32-bit) Silent Install (EXE) Exclude PATH Env Variable

Python 3.9 (64-bit) Silent Install (EXE) Exclude PATH Env Variable

Compile all .py files to .pyc

Python 3.9 (32-bit) Silent Install (EXE) with Compiled Files

Python 3.9 (64-bit) Silent Install (EXE) with Compiled Files

Include Python Debugging Symbols

Python 3.9 (32-bit) Silent Install (EXE) with Debugging Symbols

Python 3.9 (64-bit) Silent Install (EXE) with Debugging Symbols

Include Python Debug Binaries

Python 3.9 (32-bit) Silent Install (EXE) with Debug Binaries

Python 3.9 (64-bit) Silent Install (EXE) with Debug Binaries

Configure Python Settings with Unattend.xml

• Open Notepad or your favorite text editor
• Add the following lines and set values based on your preferences:

<Options>
<Option Name="InstallAllUsers" Value="1" />
<Option Name="TargetDir" Value="C:\Python39" />
<Option Name="DefaultAllUsersTargetDir" Value="C:\Python39" />
<Option Name="DefaultJustForMeTargetDir" Value="C:\Python39" />
<Option Name="DefaultCustomTargetDir" Value="C:\Python39" />
<Option Name="AssociateFiles" Value="1" />
<Option Name="CompileAll" Value="1" />
<Option Name="PrependPath" Value="1" />
<Option Name="Shortcuts" Value="1" />
<Option Name="Include_doc" Value="1" />
<Option Name="Include_debug" Value="1" />
<Option Name="Include_dev" Value="1" />
<Option Name="Include_exe" Value="1" />
<Option Name="Include_launcher" Value="1" />
<Option Name="InstallLauncherAllUsers" Value="1" />
<Option Name="Include_lib" Value="1" />
<Option Name="Include_pip" Value="1" />
<Option Name="Include_symbols" Value="1" />
<Option Name="Include_tcltk" Value="1" />
<Option Name="Include_test" Value="1" />
<Option Name="Include_tools" Value="1" />
<Option Name="LauncherOnly" Value="0" />
<Option Name="SimpleInstall" Value="0" />
<Option Name="SimpleInstallDescription"></Option>
</Options>

• Save the file to C:\Downloads and name it: unattend.xml

1. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
2. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
3. Enter the following command:
   • python-3.9.x-amd64.exe /quiet .\unattend.xml
4. Press Enter

How to Uninstall Python 3.9 Silently

Check out the following posts for a scripted solution:

1. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
2. Enter one of the following sets of commands:

Python 3.9 (32-bit) Silent Uninstall (EXE)

Python 3.9 (64-bit) Silent Uninstall (EXE)

Always make sure to test everything in a development environment prior to implementing anything into production. The information in this article is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.