How can I run Python on my college library PC without admin access?

Have you thought of running Python in your browser? Check out Brython! It allows you to write Python code directly on web pages without loading anything on the PC.

If installations aren’t possible and online REPLs are off the table, you might be limited. If the computers have virtual machine software, you could use that. Alternatively, spinning up a cloud server like an Amazon EC2 instance can work, though it might get pricey after a year. Another idea is to get a Raspberry Pi; it’s great for coding without permission issues!

Consider getting a cheap VPS for about $3 a month. You can access it through Visual Studio Code's remote development feature, which works really well. Another option is using WinPython, which might fit your needs.

You can use a portable version of Visual Studio Code along with Portable Python. Just set them up on a USB drive or extract them somewhere on the library PC where you have write access. That way, you won’t need admin rights at all!

You might try downloading the Python binaries directly into a folder on the library PC. Then, you can run programs via the command prompt without needing admin rights. I did something similar with Node.js and it worked fine.