[Python] Install quarto in Windows

Quarto is a popular tool for creating dynamic documents, reports, presentations, and websites using markdown and code. It supports multiple programming languages, including Python, R, and Julia.

When I installed it in my Windows, I found some challenges to make it find correct python in different environments, so I would like to share my experience here to help you.

Installation

You can download the installer for Windows from the official Quarto website: https://quarto.org/docs/get-started/

Choose the correct python version

You may have multiple python versions installed in your system, such using pyenv-win. When you run quarto commands, it may not find the correct python version you want to use. Here are the solutions:

Command line

set environment variable QUARTO_PYTHON to the python executable path you want to use. For example, in PowerShell, you can run:

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$env:QUARTO_PYTHON="C:\path\to\your\python.exe"

Rstudio

add the following into the .Rprofile file:

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Sys.setenv(QUARTO_PYTHON = "D:/python/to/python.exe")

VS Code

Use the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P), search for “Python: Select Interpreter”, and choose the desired Python environment.

Note that if the .qmd document contains both R and python code chunks, then you may also set another environment variable RETICULATE_PYTHON to the python executable path for the above first two methods.

Methods not working

I also tried the foollowing methods, but they did not work for me:

add the following into _quarto.yml
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execute: python: "C:/path/to/python.exe"
This could be due to my folder where _quarto.yml is located was not a project folder. I will test this again in the future.
set the python version using Rstudio global options settings

When I tried to select the python version in Rstudio global options, it couldn’t find the python versions installed by pyenv-win or by system.

Quarto-surported formats: https://quarto.org/docs/reference/formats/html.html
How quarto finds python in different environments: https://quarto.org/docs/projects/virtual-environments.html

I hope that this post helps you get started with Quarto in Windows using Python! Happy Quartoing 😊

Last modified on 2025-11-08