Python's official embeddable ZIP package lets you run Python scripts anywhere — no installer, no admin password, no IT office visit required.
The embeddable ZIP is Python's official solution for running Python without a system-wide install.
Standard Python installers need admin access. The embeddable ZIP needs none — it runs entirely from a folder you control.
This is not a third-party repack. The embeddable ZIP is released by the Python Software Foundation on the official Python.org website.
Extract to a USB drive and carry your Python environment to any school computer. No downloading required each time.
The embeddable ZIP is under 10 MB — much smaller than the full installer. It downloads in seconds even on slow school Wi-Fi.
Nothing is written to the Windows registry. To remove it, just delete the folder. It leaves no trace on the school computer.
With one small extra step, you can enable pip and install libraries like numpy, requests, and more — all without admin rights.
Direct link to the official Python.org embeddable package for Windows 64-bit.
✓ Official Python.org build · No installer · No admin rights · No hidden software
Follow these steps and you will have Python running on your school computer in under five minutes.
Click the download button above. The file is named something like python-3.12.4-embed-amd64.zip and is under 10 MB. It saves directly to your Downloads folder.
Right-click the ZIP file → Extract All… → choose a location you have write access to, such as your Documents folder or a USB drive. Create a folder called python312 to keep things tidy.
Inside the extracted folder, find a file named python312._pth (the name may vary slightly by version). Open it with Notepad. Find the line that says #import site and remove the # at the start so it reads import site. Save and close the file. This step is required to make pip and most libraries work.
Open the folder in File Explorer. Click the address bar at the top, type cmd, and press Enter. A Command Prompt window opens already pointing to your Python folder.
In the Command Prompt window, type the following and press Enter:
You should see something like Python 3.12.4. If you do, Python is working correctly.
Download get-pip.py from the official pip bootstrap page and save it into your Python folder. Then run:
Once that completes, pip is installed and you can install any library without admin rights.
Place your .py file in the same folder, then run it with:
Common questions from students setting up Python on school computers.
python -m pip install library-name. Libraries are installed inside your portable Python folder and do not require admin rights.cd E:\python312), and run Python from there. Your scripts and installed libraries travel with you.Download the portable ZIP now and have Python running on your school computer in under five minutes.
🐍 Download Python 3.12 ZIP — Free