How do I install vim on OSX with Python 3 support?

Question

In the google searches I've done, the command I should be using is brew install vim --with-python3, which succeeds without error, but then vim --version reports Python 3 as unavailable.

k162:~ asday$ brew install vim --with-python3
==> Using the sandbox
==> Downloading https://github.com/vim/vim/archive/v7.4.2210.tar.gz
Already downloaded: /Users/asday/Library/Caches/Homebrew/vim-7.4.2210.tar.gz
==> ./configure --prefix=/usr/local --mandir=/usr/local/Cellar/vim/7.4.2210/share/man --enable-multibyte --with-tlib=ncurses --enable-cscope --with-compiledby=Homebrew --enable-p
==> make
==> make install prefix=/usr/local/Cellar/vim/7.4.2210 STRIP=true
  /usr/local/Cellar/vim/7.4.2210: 1,732 files, 28.5M, built in 52 seconds
k162:~ asday$ vim --version
VIM - Vi IMproved 7.3 (2010 Aug 15, compiled Oct 27 2015 16:22:14)
Compiled by [e-mail]
Normal version without GUI.  Features included (+) or not (-):
-arabic +autocmd -balloon_eval -browse +builtin_terms +byte_offset +cindent
-clientserver -clipboard +cmdline_compl +cmdline_hist +cmdline_info +comments
-conceal +cryptv +cscope +cursorbind +cursorshape +dialog_con +diff +digraphs
-dnd -ebcdic -emacs_tags +eval +ex_extra +extra_search -farsi +file_in_path
+find_in_path +float +folding -footer +fork() -gettext -hangul_input +iconv
+insert_expand +jumplist -keymap -langmap +libcall +linebreak +lispindent
+listcmds +localmap -lua +menu +mksession +modify_fname +mouse -mouseshape
-mouse_dec -mouse_gpm -mouse_jsbterm -mouse_netterm -mouse_sysmouse
+mouse_xterm +multi_byte +multi_lang -mzscheme +netbeans_intg -osfiletype
+path_extra -perl +persistent_undo +postscript +printer -profile +python/dyn
-python3 +quickfix +reltime -rightleft +ruby/dyn +scrollbind +signs
+smartindent -sniff +startuptime +statusline -sun_workshop +syntax +tag_binary
+tag_old_static -tag_any_white -tcl +terminfo +termresponse +textobjects +title
 -toolbar +user_commands +vertsplit +virtualedit +visual +visualextra +viminfo
+vreplace +wildignore +wildmenu +windows +writebackup -X11 -xfontset -xim -xsmp
 -xterm_clipboard -xterm_save
   system vimrc file: "$VIM/vimrc"
     user vimrc file: "$HOME/.vimrc"
      user exrc file: "$HOME/.exrc"
  fall-back for $VIM: "/usr/share/vim"
Compilation: gcc -c -I. -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=0 -Iproto -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -arch i386 -arch x86_64 -g -Os -pipe
Linking: gcc -arch i386 -arch x86_64 -o vim -lncurses

And doing :py3 print("") within vim returns E319: Sorry, the command is not available in this version.

What is it I'm doing wrong? Do I need to compile vim myself?

Answer 1

The following works as of 26 May 2017 when a -python3 version of Vim is already installed via homebrew:

brew remove vim
brew cleanup
brew install vim --with-python3

Answer 2

I got the same issue today. No matter

brew install vim --with-python3

or

brew install vim --without-python --with-python3

So i check Homebrew's logs at ~/Library/Logs/Homebrew/vim, in 01.configure i found

checking Python is 3.0 or better... too old

This is because configure can not find python3's path

By adding /usr/local/Cellar/python3/3.X.X/bin (your path may be different) to your PATH envoriment and re-run, the vim finally got compiled with +python3

Answer 3

Already get to make it work. vim formula installs vim with python3 support only if python --version is version 3. Doesn't matter if brew install python install python version 3 (because it does in another binary: python3)

From: https://www.reddit.com/r/vim/comments/8iymh8/vim_in_osx_with_python3_support/dyx1b94/

Here are my steps:

1. alias python=python3
2. brew install vim
3. at this point, I get +python3 in the vim --version output
4. unalias python

Answer 4

Since version 1.6.0 of Homebrew (2018-04-09), the default python version is 3. Thus, if you have a version of vim installed before this change which is compiled with python2, what you need to do now to get vim with python3 is simply:

$ vim --version | grep python
$ brew uninstall --force vim
$ brew cleanup
$ brew install vim
$ vim --version | grep python

Answer 5

Another way to install Vim with Python3 support is using port from The MacPorts Project:

To check how many variants available for VIM and their conflict:

port variant vim

To install vim with python3 support:

sudo port install vim +python37

And to uninstall, just:

sudo port uninstall vim

Answer 6

It is because there was an already installed vim in your system which is normally found in /usr/loca/vim

$ which vim

You can try ls /usr/local/Cellar/vim/7.4.2210 and take a look what folders are available. In my system, in that directory i have bin/vim, so I update my .zshrc or similar rc file in your os, update it as

alias 'vim'=/usr/local/Cellar/vim/7.4.2210/bin/vim

When you open a new terminal, then

which vim

It will show the update path. So you can use the python3 inside it.

Answer 7

As of October 2017 this works.

If you have previously installed vim with homebrew, uninstall it first

brew remove vim
brew cleanup

Then

brew install vim --without-python --with-python3

Answer 8

It's possible that vim is still resolving to the Apple-installed version. See: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/33313708/apples-vim-always-used-instead-of-homebrew