Setting Up a Python Development Environment on MacBook Air with Homebrew, VS Code, PyCharm, and venv

Overview

This article documents a Python development environment setup on a MacBook Air using Homebrew, Python, VS Code, PyCharm, and venv.

macOS -> Homebrew -> Python 3.14 -> venv -> VS Code / PyCharm -> test script

System Environment

Device: MacBook Air
OS: macOS 26.1
Kernel: Darwin 25.1.0
Architecture: ARM64 / Apple Silicon
System Python: Python 3.9.6

Useful commands:

sw_vers
uname -a
python3 --version

Install Homebrew

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://gitee.com/ineo6/homebrew-install/raw/master/install.sh)"

Configure shell environment:

eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

Verify:

brew -v

On Apple Silicon Macs, Homebrew is usually installed under:

/opt/homebrew

Install Python

brew install python

Python path:

/opt/homebrew/bin/python3

Verify:

python3 --version
which python3

Install IDEs

Visual Studio Code

brew install --cask visual-studio-code
open -a "Visual Studio Code"

PyCharm Community Edition

brew install --cask pycharm-ce
open -a "PyCharm CE"

Create a Python Project

mkdir ~/pythonproject
cd ~/pythonproject
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

After activation, the terminal prompt should show:

(venv)

Upgrade pip

pip install --upgrade pip

Test the Environment

Create test-env.py:

import sys

print("Python executable:", sys.executable)
print("Python version:", sys.version)

Run:

python test-env.py

The executable path should point to:

~/pythonproject/venv/bin/python

Configure VS Code

code ~/pythonproject

Select interpreter:

Command Palette -> Python: Select Interpreter -> ./venv/bin/python

Recommended extensions:

Python
Pylance
Jupyter

Configure PyCharm

Open the project directory:

~/pythonproject

Select interpreter:

~/pythonproject/venv/bin/python

Common Problems

Homebrew Command Not Found

eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

Python Still Uses System Version

which python3
python3 --version
source venv/bin/activate
which python
python --version

pip Installs Packages Globally

Activate venv before installing packages:

source venv/bin/activate
pip install package-name

VS Code Does Not Use venv

Use Python: Select Interpreter and choose ./venv/bin/python.

Final Conclusion

This setup uses Homebrew to install a separate Python version and venv to isolate project dependencies. It is a clean workflow for Python development on macOS and Apple Silicon Macs.