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May 11, 2025 23:17
cli
conda
environment
package management
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Conda CLI Cheatsheet

A concise reference for Conda command-line interface (CLI) commands, covering environment, package, and channel management, configuration, and troubleshooting. Ideal for both beginners and experienced users.

Environment Management

Creating Environments

conda create -n <env_name> - Creates a new environment named <env_name>.

Example:
conda create -n myenv

conda create -n <env_name> python=<version> - Creates an environment with a specific Python version.

Example:
conda create -n myenv python=3.8

conda create -n <env_name> --clone <existing_env> - Clones an existing environment.

Example:
conda create -n newenv --clone myenv

Activating/Deactivating Environments

conda activate <env_name> - Activates the specified environment.

Example:
conda activate myenv

conda deactivate - Deactivates the current environment.

Listing and Removing Environments

conda env list - Lists all conda environments.

Example:
conda env list

conda remove -n <env_name> --all - Removes the specified environment.

Example:
conda remove -n myenv --all

Package Management

Installing Packages

conda install <package_name> - Installs a package in the current environment.

Example:
conda install numpy

conda install -n <env_name> <package_name> - Installs a package in a specific environment.

Example:
conda install -n myenv numpy

conda install <package_name>=<version> - Installs a specific version of a package.

Example:
conda install numpy=1.20.0

conda install --file requirements.txt - Installs packages from a requirements file.

Example:
conda install --file requirements.txt

Listing Packages

conda list - Lists installed packages in the current environment.

conda list -n <env_name> - Lists packages in a specific environment.

Example:
conda list -n myenv

Updating and Removing Packages

conda update <package_name> - Updates a package in the current environment.

Example:
conda update numpy

conda update --all - Updates all packages in the current environment.

conda remove <package_name> - Removes a package from the current environment.

Example:
conda remove numpy

Channel Management

Adding Channels

conda config --add channels <channel_name> - Adds a channel to the channel list.

Example:
conda config --add channels conda-forge

conda config --prepend channels <channel_name> - Adds a channel to the top of the channel list, giving it priority.

Example:
conda config --prepend channels conda-forge

Listing Channels

conda config --get channels - Lists configured channels.

Removing Channels

conda config --remove channels <channel_name> - Removes a channel from the channel list.

Example:
conda config --remove channels conda-forge

Configuration & Troubleshooting

Configuration Management

conda config --set <key> <value> - Sets a configuration option.

Example:
conda config --set auto_update_conda false

conda config --get - Lists all configuration options.

Troubleshooting

Problem: Conda is not recognized as a command.
Solution: Ensure Conda’s bin directory is in your system’s PATH environment variable.

Problem: Package installation fails due to conflicts.
Solution: Try creating a new environment with minimal dependencies, or use conda update --all in the existing environment to resolve dependency issues.

Problem: Slow package downloads.
Solution: Configure Conda to use a faster mirror or add the conda-forge channel, which often provides optimized packages.

Tips and Tricks

Use conda clean --all to remove unused packages and caches to free up disk space.

Export environment to file conda env export > environment.yml
Create from file conda env create -f environment.yml