Core Red Hat Enterprise Linux tools depend on the system Python version that ships with the operating system. Do not change the system default Python interpreter at /usr/bin/python3.

Many installed packages and system utilities are tightly coupled with the tested system Python. For example, Dandified YUM (DNF), the package manager that installs and updates software on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, is a Python application. Changing the system default Python environment can break DNF and leave the system unable to manage packages.

Other critical components, including firewall managers, system initializers, and printer drivers, also rely on the default system Python. An unsupported change can cause these tools to fail without warning.

On Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 and later, use of the alternatives command to change the system python3 interpreter is unsupported. To run a different Python version when you enter python3 or python, create a symbolic link in a directory that appears earlier in your PATH environment variable. This approach does not modify system packages, nor affects other users when you configure a user-specific link.