How to Install the PyCharm Python IDE in Linux

Enter these commands to get PyCharm

PyCharm Home Screen

 PyCharm

by Gary Newell
An application developer and software tester with more than 20 years in the IT industry working on Windows, UNIX and Linux.
Updated September 11, 2018

PyCharm is a cross-platform editor developed by JetBrains that lets you edit and debug Python applications on Linux. Below is a walkthrough of how to get PyCharm on your computer, how to install it, and how to run the integrated development environment (IDE).

See our full review of PyCharm to learn about the features you can expect to find. It covers everything from creating a project to describing the user interface, debugging, and code refactoring.

Tip: If you want to learn how to program in Python, it's worth checking out learning resources like Udemy and Pluralsight for access to really good courses on Python.

How to Install PyCharm

There are a couple commands you need to enter into a terminal window to install PyCharm.

  1. Download PyCharm.
    1. You have the choice of downloading the professional version or the community edition. If you're just getting into programming in Python, we recommend the community edition. However, the professional version has some great features that shouldn't be overlooked if you intend to program professionally.
  2. Extract the contents of the TAR.GZ file you downloaded. The file should be called something like "pycharm-community-<version>.tar.gz."
    1. A quick way to do this is to enter cd ~/Downloads from the terminal to navigate to the folder where the GZ file is stored, and then enter tar -xvzf pycharm-community-2018.2.3.tar.gz -C ~.
    2. Tip: You'll know when the command completes when you see the "~/Downloads$" line again.
  3. You can now launch PyCharm from your home folder following the instructions below.

How to Run PyCharm

Following are several commands that you need to follow in order to run PyCharm on Linux.

Navigate to your home folder:

cd ~

Find the folder name for PyCharm with the ls command:

ls

Navigate into PyCharm's "bin" folder:

cd pycharm-community-2018.2.3/bin

Run PyCharm:

sh pycharm.sh &

Tip: If you're running a desktop environment like GNOME, KDE, Unity, Cinnamon, or any other modern desktop, you'll also be able to use the menu or dash for that desktop environment to find PyCharm.