Hey there! Let's get Spyder up and running for your Python 3.6 setup on your MacBook Pro. The confusion makes total sense—here's what's going on and how to fix it:

Why You Can't Find Spyder Right Now #

The standard Python installer from python.org doesn't include Spyder by default. Spyder is a third-party IDE built specifically for scientific Python work, so it needs to be installed separately even after you've set up Python itself.

Two Ways to Install and Launch Spyder #

Option 1: Install via pip3 (Quickest for Your Existing Setup) #

Since you already have Python 3.6 installed, you can use Python's package manager to add Spyder directly:

1. Open your Terminal app.
2. Run this command to install Spyder (use pip3 to make sure you're targeting Python 3.6, not macOS's default Python 2):

   pip3 install spyder
   

3. Once the installation finishes, launch Spyder right from the Terminal by typing:

   spyder
   

4. If you want a shortcut in your Applications folder or Launchpad, you can create one manually, but launching via Terminal works perfectly fine for most day-to-day use cases.

Option 2: Switch to Anaconda (For a Full Scientific Python Environment) #

If you plan to work with data science, machine learning, or other scientific Python tools later on, Anaconda is a great all-in-one solution. It comes with Spyder pre-installed, along with tons of other useful packages tailored for scientific work:

• Download the Anaconda installer built for Python 3.6 (match it to your macOS system)
• Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to set it up
• Once installed, you'll find Spyder in your Applications folder or via the Anaconda Navigator app.

Quick Check to Confirm Your Setup #

You mentioned your Terminal shows Python 3.6.0 when you run the version check—this confirms your system is correctly pointing to the Python version you installed, so the pip3 command above will install Spyder for exactly that environment.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Steve Van Maanen