title: How to use Windows Python install in MSYS2
body: <p>I am using MSYS2 as my terminal in Visual Studio Code for GCC support and to use a few tools that are easier to build often in a Linux environment. However, I would like to install Python on Windows and use that instead of Python packaged with MSYS2. My current workaround is to define the following alias in my <code>.bashrc</code>:</p>
  <pre><code>alias python='$PYTHONPATH/../../python.exe'
  alias pip='$PYTHONPATH/../../pip.exe'
  </code></pre>
  <p>I recently tried using venv and that is causing problems as when I type <code>python</code> from the MINGW terminal, it points to my Windows python instead of the venv python. This is not a bug obviously, but I need a way to use Windows python instead of MSYS2 python for packages like numpy, tox, matplotlib, etc. because the MSYS2 packages for those are a headache and currently, tox+pytest in MSYS2 does not work. At this time, my solution above works for everything I've thrown at it in Python.</p>
  <p>So, my question is how do I use my Windows Python install instead of the POSIX/Windows MSYS2 Python without the above hack? Is there a way I can define the <code>PATH</code> to include my Windows Python as the first entries in MSYS2 <code>PATH</code>?</p>
  <p>Here is what it looks like right now:</p>
  <pre><code>$echo $PATH
  /mingw64/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/c/Users/Glen.Nicholls/AppData/Local/Programs/Python/Python37/Scripts:/c/Users/Glen.Nicholls/AppData/Local/Programs/Python/Python37
  </code></pre>
  <p>I would like to know how to make it the following instead, delete python from MSYS2, or find another way to accomplish this.</p>
  <pre><code>/c/Users/Glen.Nicholls/AppData/Local/Programs/Python/Python37/Scripts:/c/Users/Glen.Nicholls/AppData/Local/Programs/Python/Python37:/mingw64/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:...
  </code></pre>