Check Which System is the Python based on

When installing some libraries in Python, I sometimes encounter the problem of mis installing the version of python. Sometimes I need a library on my M1 Pro chip but my conda installed x86 version. Here are some method to check which python you installed.

Check if the python installed is x86 or arm

To determine whether the Python installation on your system is x86 (32-bit or 64-bit Intel architecture) or ARM (architecture used in many modern mobile devices and the Apple M1/M2 chips), you can use Python itself to check. Follow these steps:

1. Open Python Interpreter: Open a terminal or command prompt and type python or python3, then press Enter. This will open the Python interpreter.

2. Check System Architecture: In the Python interpreter, enter the following commands:

   import platform
   print(platform.machine())

This command will output the architecture type of your Python installation. Here's what the outputs generally mean:

• Outputs like 'x86', 'x86_64', 'AMD64': These indicate an x86 architecture (32-bit or 64-bit Intel or AMD processors).
• Outputs like 'arm64', 'aarch64': These indicate an ARM architecture (common in modern mobile devices, and Apple's M1/M2 series chips).

Let's run this code in the current Python environment to demonstrate.

The output from the Python environment here is 'x86_64', which indicates that this Python installation is running on an x86 architecture, specifically a 64-bit Intel or AMD processor.

You can use the same method on your system to check whether your Python installation is x86 or ARM.

Is there a command line version?

Yes, there is a command-line method to check the architecture of the Python installation without entering the Python interpreter. You can use the following command in your terminal or command prompt:

python -c "import platform; print(platform.machine())"

or

python3 -c "import platform; print(platform.machine())"

This command executes a short Python script directly from the command line. It imports the platform module and prints out the machine type, which indicates the architecture.

• If the output is something like 'x86', 'x86_64', or 'AMD64', it's an x86 architecture.
• If it says 'arm64', 'aarch64', or similar, it's an ARM architecture.

You should choose python or python3 based on how Python is installed on your system. Some systems may use python for Python 2 and python3 for Python 3, while others might only have Python 3 installed as python.