Conda Installation and Configuration Guide

# Check the conda version
conda --version

# Show full environment information
conda info

conda 24.x.x

     active environment : base
    active env location : D:\miniconda3
       user config file : C:\Users\yourname\.condarc
 populated config files : D:\miniconda3\.condarc
          conda version : 24.x.x
               platform : win-64
               ...

# Create a Python 3.12 test environment
conda create -n test_env python=3.12 -y

# Activate the environment
conda activate test_env

# Confirm the Python version
python --version

# Install a package to verify
conda install numpy -y

# Quick test
python -c "import numpy; print(f'NumPy {numpy.__version__} OK')"

# Clean up after testing
conda deactivate
conda remove -n test_env --all -y

# View current channel configuration
conda config --show channels

# Add conda-forge as the highest priority
conda config --add channels conda-forge

# Enable strict priority mode (recommended)
conda config --set channel_priority strict

# Specify a channel for a single install (one-time)
conda install -c pytorch pytorch torchvision

Channel list:
  1. conda-forge    ← Highest priority, searched first
  2. defaults       ← Searched only if conda-forge doesn't have it

In strict mode: if conda-forge has numpy 1.26 and defaults has numpy 1.27,
conda still installs conda-forge's 1.26, because it comes from the higher-priority channel.

# Create an environment (specify Python version)
conda create -n myenv python=3.12

# Create an environment at a specific path (use --prefix instead of -n)
{/* conda create python=3.9 --prefix D:\Miniconda3\envs\python39 -y */}

# Create an environment from a YAML file
conda env create -f environment.yml

# Activate / deactivate an environment
conda activate myenv
conda deactivate

# List all environments
conda env list

# Remove an environment
conda remove -n myenv --all

# Export the environment (reproducible snapshot)
conda env export > environment.yml

# Export only manually installed packages (more cross-platform compatible)
conda env export --from-history > environment.yml

# Install packages
conda install numpy pandas matplotlib

# Install a specific version
conda install python=3.11 numpy=1.26

# Install from a specific channel
conda install -c conda-forge scikit-learn

# Update a package
conda update numpy

# Update all packages
conda update --all

# Search for a package
conda search pytorch

# Remove a package
conda remove numpy

# List installed packages
conda list

D:\miniconda3\Scripts\conda.exe init powershell

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser