Rpy2 is a popular Python interface to R. It allows Python users to enjoy the breadth and depth of R packages in Python. Yet, unlike in UNIX-like operating systems, it is not straightforward to install and set up rpy2 in Windows. This article shows a simple way to install the rpy2 Python interface to R on a Windows 10 machine.
Download Rpy2.whl
Unlike what we would usually do to install Python packages, on a Windows machine, the following command might not work as expected for rpy2:
pip install rpy2
A work around is to download rpy2 from the Unofficial Windows Binaries for Python Extension Packages to the current working directory. Then use the following command to install rpy2 from the downloaded file:
pip install rpy2‑2.9.5‑cp37‑cp37m‑win32.whl
Set up R_HOME and R_USER
After successfully installing the package, we need to set up two environment variables in Windows before rpy2 can work properly. Right click on This PC. Then go to Properties -> Advanced System Settings -> Environment Variables. First, create a new system variable, R_HOME, which takes the path of the R installation directory as its value. For me, it looks like this.
C:Program FilesRR-3.6.3
Then, create another system variable, R_USER, which takes the path of the rpy2 installation directory as its value. For me, it looks like this.
F:MyProjectvenvLibsite-packagesrpy2
Note: If it still does not work properly, try creating R_USER as a user variable too.
Now rpy2 should work as expected and you can start using the R packages you like.