How to set python version in the terminal window

I have various python versions on my laptop. The VS Code IDE is using the latest version, but the terminal window is using an earlier version. How do I configure the version used by the terminal window? I have tried pushing the PATH environment variable in Windows so the latest Python path is at the top, but it didn’t help. I have also tried using the settings.json file to point python to the correct folder under code-runner.ExecutorMap to no avail. I don’t want to use an environment. Thanks.