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Status of Python Mode for Processing

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Raphaël de Courville edited this page Oct 22, 2026 · 1 revision

Python Mode is no longer maintained. Nobody fixes its bugs, adds features, or updates it for new Processing releases.

Why Python Mode is no longer maintained

Python Mode is built on Jython, which supports Python 2.7, not Python 3. Python 2 reached its end of life in 2020 and no longer gets official support.

This causes three problems:

  • Python Mode cannot use Python 3 features.
  • Many popular Python libraries, including NumPy, rely on native extensions, so they do not work with Jython.
  • Changes to Processing, Java, and operating systems can break Python Mode. Each break needs more maintenance work.

Keeping Python Mode working with new Processing releases would take a lot of work. Its integration with the Processing editor needs updating, and the limits of Jython remain. The project has no active maintainer, and we do not have the resources to take on this work.

Use Python Mode with Processing 3

The Processing 3 version of Python Mode still works with Processing 3. Neither Processing 3 nor Python Mode is maintained, so they may not work on newer operating systems.

To install Python Mode for Processing 3:

  1. Download and install Processing 3.5.4.
  2. Download Python Mode for Processing 3.
  3. Extract the PythonMode folder into the modes folder inside your Processing sketchbook. The result is Processing/modes/PythonMode.
  4. Restart Processing.
  5. Select Python from the mode menu in the top-right corner of the editor.

Do not use Python Mode with Processing 4

A version of Python Mode was released for Processing 4, but development stopped before it fully worked. New Processing 4 releases are not tested with it, so each release can break more of it. Known issues include #350, #793, and #1450.

We do not recommend using Python Mode with Processing 4.

What to use instead

py5: a maintained alternative

To use Python with Processing today, we recommend py5. py5 is a maintained project that brings Processing's graphics to Python 3. It works with Python libraries such as NumPy and Matplotlib.

py5 is a separate project, not a direct replacement for Python Mode. You may need to change your Python Mode sketches before they work with py5.

mewnala: an experimental option

The Processing Foundation is also building libprocessing, a new implementation of the Processing API written in Rust. mewnala is a Python library built on libprocessing. It aims to let you write Processing sketches in Python 3 without Jython.

As of October 2026, mewnala is experimental. Many Processing features are not supported yet, and its API can change without notice. It is not yet a stable replacement for Python Mode or py5.

To try mewnala or help develop it, see the mewnala getting started guide.

Python Mode documentation stays online

py.processing.org stays online as an archive of the Python Mode reference, tutorials, and examples. It is no longer updated.

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