How To Start Jupyter Notebook From Command Prompt

Waren Burn

2 min read

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24-11-2024

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Jupyter Notebook is a powerful tool for interactive computing, particularly popular among data scientists and programmers. While launching it through a graphical user interface (GUI) is straightforward, knowing how to start Jupyter Notebook from your command prompt offers greater flexibility and control, especially for scripting and automation. This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• Python installed: Jupyter Notebook relies on Python. If you haven't already, download and install a suitable Python distribution from python.org. Make sure you add Python to your system's PATH environment variable during installation – this makes it accessible from the command prompt.
• Jupyter Notebook installed: You can install Jupyter using pip, the Python package installer. Open your command prompt and type: pip install jupyter

Launching Jupyter Notebook from the Command Prompt

Once Python and Jupyter Notebook are installed, launching it is a simple one-line command:

jupyter notebook

Simply type this command into your command prompt and press Enter. This will:

1. Start the Jupyter Notebook server: This server runs in the background, managing your notebooks and their interactions.
2. Open a new tab in your web browser: This tab will display the Jupyter Notebook dashboard. The dashboard lists the files and folders in the directory from where you launched the command. You'll see options to create new notebooks, upload files, and manage existing ones.
3. Display the server URL: The command prompt will also display the URL of the Jupyter Notebook server. This allows you to access the dashboard from another device on the same network, if necessary.

Navigating the Jupyter Notebook Dashboard

The Jupyter Notebook dashboard provides a user-friendly interface for managing your notebooks and other files. You can:

• Create new notebooks: Click the "New" button and select "Python 3" (or your preferred kernel) to create a new notebook.
• Open existing notebooks: Simply click on an existing .ipynb file to open it.
• Upload files: Use the upload button to add files to your current directory.
• Manage files and folders: The dashboard provides basic file management capabilities such as renaming, deleting, and creating new folders.

Specifying the Starting Directory

By default, Jupyter Notebook starts in the directory from where you launched the command. To specify a different starting directory, use the --notebook-dir option followed by the path to your desired directory. For example:

jupyter notebook --notebook-dir="C:\Users\YourUserName\Documents\MyProjects"

Remember to replace "C:\Users\YourUserName\Documents\MyProjects" with the actual path to your preferred directory. This is particularly useful for organizing your projects and keeping your notebooks in specific locations.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues, ensure:

• Python is correctly added to your PATH: Incorrect PATH configuration can prevent Jupyter from launching correctly.
• Port conflicts: If the default port (8888) is already in use, Jupyter will inform you. You can try specifying a different port using the --port option (e.g., jupyter notebook --port=8889).
• Firewall issues: Your firewall might be blocking the Jupyter Notebook server. Temporarily disable your firewall to check if this is the case, and then configure your firewall rules to allow access if necessary.

By mastering the command-line approach, you can streamline your workflow and unlock the full potential of Jupyter Notebook for your data science and programming tasks.