How to Clear the Screen in Python (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Here’s how to clear the screen in Python: call the terminal’s own clear command with os.system(), using cls on Windows and clear on macOS and Linux. One line handles both:

import os
os.system("cls" if os.name == "nt" else "clear")

The screenshots show Command Prompt windows on Windows 11 with Python 3.12.5, captured after the clear ran, so you only see what survived it.

I’ll cover the os.system approach, a reusable function, ANSI escape codes, redrawing a single line, and why clearing doesn’t work in IDLE or when output is redirected.

How to clear the screen in Python with os.system

Python has no built-in clear command, so you ask the operating system. os.name is "nt" on Windows, which tells you which command to run:

import os
import time

print("Loading sales report...")
print("Connecting to database...")
time.sleep(2)

os.system("cls" if os.name == "nt" else "clear")    # the screen is wiped here
print("Sales report for October 2026")
print("Austin   $12,500.50")
print("Denver    $9,800.25")

Output:

Sales report for October 2026
Austin   $12,500.50
Denver    $9,800.25

Text printed before the clear disappears, and text after it starts at the top. For running scripts like this, see how to run a Python script.

A reusable clear_screen() function

Wrap the logic in a function so the rest of your program just calls clear_screen(). Using subprocess.run() avoids some quirks of os.system:

import os
import shutil
import subprocess
import time

def clear_screen():
    """Clear the terminal on Windows, macOS and Linux."""
    if os.name == "nt":
        subprocess.run("cls", shell=True)
    else:
        subprocess.run(["clear"])

for seconds in range(3, 0, -1):
    clear_screen()
    print(f"Next update in {seconds}...")
    time.sleep(1)
clear_screen()
print("Updated at 10:30 AM")
print("terminal width:", shutil.get_terminal_size().columns, "columns")

Output:

Updated at 10:30 AM
terminal width: 80 columns

Clearing in a loop like this is how simple terminal dashboards work. The countdown uses a reverse range; see for i in range in reverse.

Clearing the screen with ANSI escape codes

Most modern terminals, including Windows Terminal and Command Prompt on Windows 10 and 11, understand ANSI codes. \033[2J clears the screen and \033[H moves the cursor home:

import time

print("Old output line 1")
print("Old output line 2")
time.sleep(2)

print("\033[2J\033[H", end="")         # ANSI: clear the screen, move cursor to top-left
print("Fresh screen via ANSI codes")

for pct in range(0, 101, 25):
    print(f"\rDownloading... {pct:3d}%", end="", flush=True)   # \r redraws one line
    time.sleep(0.3)
print()

Output:

Fresh screen via ANSI codes

Downloading... 100%

Often you don’t need to clear the whole screen at all. Printing \r with end="" rewrites just the current line, which is perfect for progress counters.

Why doesn’t clearing the screen work in IDLE?

IDLE’s shell, PyCharm’s Run window and VS Code’s Output panel aren’t real terminals, so cls and ANSI codes do nothing useful there. Run the script in Command Prompt, PowerShell or Terminal instead.

The same happens when output is redirected to a file or another program. Check sys.stdout.isatty() and skip the clear when it’s false:

import os
import sys

if sys.stdout.isatty():
    os.system("cls" if os.name == "nt" else "clear")
    print("cleared the terminal")
else:
    print("not a terminal (output is redirected), so there is nothing to clear")

Output:

not a terminal (output is redirected), so there is nothing to clear

When I ran this from my build tool, output was captured instead of shown in a terminal, so it took the second branch. For more on running system commands from Python, see running Python scripts.

Ways to clear the screen in Python

Method	Works in	Notes
os.system("cls") / os.system("clear")	Real terminals	Simplest; starts a small process
subprocess.run(...)	Real terminals	Same idea, more control
print("\033[2J\033[H")	ANSI-capable terminals	No new process; fast in loops
print("\r...", end="")	Most terminals	Redraws one line only
Restart the shell	IDLE (Ctrl+F6)	IDLE has no real clear

A few more terminal and scripting guides:

• Infinite loops in Python
• Environment variables in Python
• Change the working directory in Python
• What is the Python interpreter

Frequently asked questions