> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://anaconda.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Windows shell installer

export const DefinitionDescription = ({children}) => <dd className="definition-description">{children}</dd>;

export const DefinitionTerm = ({children}) => <dt className="definition-term">{children}</dt>;

export const DefinitionList = ({children}) => <dl className="definition-list">{children}</dl>;

export const TroubleshootSolution = ({children}) => <>
    <hr className="my-3 w-full" />
    <details className="mt-3">
      <summary className="cursor-pointer font-semibold text-base mb-1">
        Solution
      </summary>
      <div className="mt-2 ml-4" data-component-part="step-content">
        {children}
      </div>
    </details>
  </>;

export const TroubleshootCause = ({children}) => <details className="mt-3 mb-2">
    <summary className="cursor-pointer font-semibold text-base mb-1">
      Cause
    </summary>
    <div className="mt-2 ml-4" data-component-part="step-content">
      {children}
    </div>
  </details>;

export const TroubleshootTitle = ({children}) => <>
    <p className="m-0 font-semibold text-xl leading-tight mb-2" role="heading" aria-level={3}>
      {children}
    </p>
    <hr className="my-3 w-full" />
  </>;

export const Troubleshoot = ({children}) => <div className="callout my-4 px-5 py-4 overflow-hidden rounded-2xl flex gap-3 border troubleshoot-admonition dark:troubleshoot-admonition" data-callout-type="troubleshoot">
    <div className="mt-0.5 w-4">
      <svg width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 640 640" fill="currentColor" className="w-4 h-4" aria-label="Troubleshoot">
        <path d="M541.4 162.6C549 155 561.7 156.9 565.5 166.9C572.3 184.6 576 203.9 576 224C576 312.4 504.4 384 416 384C398.5 384 381.6 381.2 365.8 376L178.9 562.9C150.8 591 105.2 591 77.1 562.9C49 534.8 49 489.2 77.1 461.1L264 274.2C258.8 258.4 256 241.6 256 224C256 135.6 327.6 64 416 64C436.1 64 455.4 67.7 473.1 74.5C483.1 78.3 484.9 91 477.4 98.6L388.7 187.3C385.7 190.3 384 194.4 384 198.6L384 240C384 248.8 391.2 256 400 256L441.4 256C445.6 256 449.7 254.3 452.7 251.3L541.4 162.6z" />
      </svg>
    </div>
    <div className="prose min-w-0 w-full">{children}</div>
  </div>;

export const Comments = ({children}) => {
  return <div class="my-4 px-5 py-4 overflow-hidden rounded-2xl flex gap-3 border border-zinc-500/20 bg-zinc-50/50 dark:border-zinc-500/30 dark:bg-zinc-500/10" data-callout-type="comments">
      <div class="w-4">
        <svg width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 640 640" fill="currentColor" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="w-5 h-5" aria-label="Comments">
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        </svg>
      </div>
      <div class="text-sm prose min-w-0 w-full">
        {children}
      </div>
    </div>;
};

<Accordion title="Using Anaconda Distribution in a commercial setting?">
  * You might need to purchase a license to stay compliant with our [Terms of Service](https://www.anaconda.com/legal).

  * If your company security policies do not allow admin privileges for end users, you will be unable to install Anaconda Distribution manually. Consider requesting that your IT admin add Anaconda Distribution to a software delivery or fleet management system (such as Kandji, Jamf, and so on).
</Accordion>

This page provides instructions for installing Anaconda Distribution on Windows with the command line in Command Prompt or PowerShell.

## Installation steps

1. Download the latest installer by using your preferred command-line interface:

   <Tabs>
     <Tab title="Command Prompt">
       Open a Command Prompt window and run the following command:

       ```sh theme={null}
       curl https://repo.anaconda.com/archive/Anaconda3-2025.12-2-Windows-x86_64.exe --output .\Anaconda3-2025.12-2-Windows-x86_64.exe
       ```
     </Tab>

     <Tab title="PowerShell">
       <Note>
         These commands work best with default PowerShell.
       </Note>

       Open a PowerShell window and run the following command:

       ```powershell theme={null}
       Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://repo.anaconda.com/archive/Anaconda3-2025.12-2-Windows-x86_64.exe" -OutFile ".\Anaconda3-2025.12-2-Windows-x86_64.exe"
       ```
     </Tab>
   </Tabs>

   <Troubleshoot>
     <TroubleshootTitle>
       ### Invoke-WebRequest : A positional parameter cannot be found that accepts argument '--output'
     </TroubleshootTitle>

     <TroubleshootCause>
       You are running a Command Prompt command in PowerShell. The `curl` command is not native to PowerShell.
     </TroubleshootCause>

     <TroubleshootSolution>
       To fix this, do one of the following:

       1. Click the **PowerShell** tab above and run the `Invoke-WebRequest` command instead.
       2. Open a Command Prompt window and run the `curl` command there.
     </TroubleshootSolution>
   </Troubleshoot>

   <Note>
     For instructions on downloading an older installer version, see [Using older installer versions](/getting-started/advanced-install/old-os).
   </Note>

2. (Optional) Anaconda recommends verifying the integrity of the installer after downloading it.

   <Accordion title="How do I verify my installer's integrity?">
     To ensure that your downloaded installer has not been tampered with or corrupted, generate its SHA-256 hash value and compare that hash to the official hash provided in the archive.

     1. Open your preferred command-line interface and run the following command:

          <CodeGroup>
            ```Command Command Prompt theme={null}
            certutil -hashfile <PATH_TO_INSTALLER_FILE> SHA256
            ```

            ```Command Command Prompt Example theme={null}
            certutil -hashfile C:\Users\annieconda\Anaconda3-2025.12-2-Windows-x86_64.exe SHA256
            ```

            ```PowerShell PowerShell theme={null}
            Get-FileHash <PATH_TO_INSTALLER_FILE> -Algorithm SHA256
            ```

            ```PowerShell PowerShell Example theme={null}
            Get-FileHash C:\Users\annieconda\Anaconda3-2025.12-2-Windows-x86_64.exe -Algorithm SHA256
            ```
          </CodeGroup>

          <Comments>
            Replace \<PATH\_TO\_INSTALLER\_FILE> with the file path to the downloaded installer file.
          </Comments>

          <Tip>
            Right-click the installer file in your file explorer and select **Copy as path** to get its full file path.
          </Tip>

     2. Note the generated SHA-256 hash value from the output.

     3. Visit [repo.anaconda.com/archive](https://repo.anaconda.com/archive/) to find the official SHA-256 hash for your installer.

     4. Compare the hash values. If they match, the installer is safe to use.

     <Tip>
       For more information, see [cryptographic hash verification](https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/install/index.html#cryptographic-hash-verification) in the official conda documentation.
     </Tip>
   </Accordion>

3. Go to your Home folder and double-click the installer to launch.

   <Warning>
     To prevent permission errors, do not launch the installer from the [Favorites folder](#windows-permission-errors-when-installing-from-favorites-folder).
   </Warning>

   <Note>
     If you encounter issues during installation, temporarily disable your anti-virus software during install, then re-enable it after the installation concludes. If you installed for **All Users**, [uninstall](/getting-started/anaconda/uninstall) Anaconda Distribution and re-install it for **Just Me** only.
   </Note>

4. Click **Next** and then click **I Agree** to agree to Anaconda's Terms of Service (TOS). You can read the full TOS at [https://anaconda.com/legal](https://anaconda.com/legal).

5. Select an installation option:

   <DefinitionList>
     <DefinitionTerm>
       Just Me (Recommended)
     </DefinitionTerm>

     <DefinitionDescription>
       Install Anaconda Distribution for the current user account.
     </DefinitionDescription>

     <DefinitionTerm>
       All Users
     </DefinitionTerm>

     <DefinitionDescription>
       Install Anaconda Distribution for all user accounts on the computer (requires Windows Administrator privileges).
     </DefinitionDescription>
   </DefinitionList>

6. Click **Next**.

7. Select a destination folder to install Anaconda, then click **Next**.

   <Warning>
     Anaconda recommends installing Anaconda Distribution in a directory with no spaces or special characters to avoid potential compatibility issues with open-source tools. For more information, see the [FAQ](/getting-started/working-with-conda/reference/faq#in-what-folder-should-i-install-anaconda-on-windows).

     ***

     Do not install as Administrator unless admin privileges are required.
   </Warning>

8. Customize your installation options:

   <DefinitionList>
     <DefinitionTerm>
       Create shortcuts
     </DefinitionTerm>

     <DefinitionDescription>
       Selected by default. Creates Start Menu shortcuts for the Anaconda Navigator, Spyder, Jupyter Notebook, and Anaconda Prompt packages. Clearing this option skips creating these shortcuts.
     </DefinitionDescription>

     <DefinitionTerm>
       Add Anaconda3 to my PATH environment variable
     </DefinitionTerm>

     <DefinitionDescription>
       Adds the path that contains the conda binaries to your PATH environment variable.

       <Warning>
         Unless you plan on installing and running multiple versions of Anaconda Distribution or Python, Anaconda **does not** recommend selecting this option. The conda binaries path contains other package binaries, which are permanently added to your PATH environment variable, even if no conda environment is currently active. This makes it possible for other software to use these package files, which might lead to errors.
       </Warning>

       <Warning>
         As of `Anaconda Distribution 2022.05`, the option to add Anaconda Distribution to the PATH environment variable during an **All Users** installation has been disabled. This was done to address [a security exploit](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-26526). You can still add Anaconda Distribution to the PATH environment variable during a **Just Me** installation.
       </Warning>
     </DefinitionDescription>

     <DefinitionTerm>
       Register Anaconda3 as my default Python 3.12
     </DefinitionTerm>

     <DefinitionDescription>
       Selected by default. Registers the Python package in this install as the default Python for programs like VSCode, PyCharm, and so on.
     </DefinitionDescription>

     <DefinitionTerm>
       Clear the package cache upon completion
     </DefinitionTerm>

     <DefinitionDescription>
       Runs `conda clean --all --force-pkgs-dirs` after the install finishes. For more information on these commands, see the [conda command documentation](https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/stable/commands/clean.html).
     </DefinitionDescription>
   </DefinitionList>

9. Click **Install**. The installation might take a few minutes to complete. Click **Show details** to view the packages being installed.

10. Click **Next** twice, then click **Finish** to close the installer.

## Verify your install

You can verify your installation was successful using Anaconda Navigator or Anaconda Prompt.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Anaconda Navigator">
    [Anaconda Navigator](/tools/anaconda-navigator/main) opens automatically when installation completes successfully.

    If you need to manually open Anaconda Navigator, type "Anaconda Navigator" in the Windows search bar, then select the application.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/anaconda-29683c67/Lg6_sEncIGj5frX3/images/anaconda-navigator-search-windows.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Lg6_sEncIGj5frX3&q=85&s=96686e01035122d930dbd461b495d359" alt="Windows desktop with Anaconda Navigator in the taskbar search field." width="1922" height="1018" data-path="images/anaconda-navigator-search-windows.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Anaconda Prompt">
    [Anaconda Prompt](/reference/glossary#anaconda-prompt) is a command-line shell application that is included with conda installations for Windows.

    To open Anaconda Prompt, type "Anaconda Prompt" in the Windows search bar, then select the application.

    <Frame>
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/anaconda-29683c67/aG2LtQCwack7eY6N/images/anaconda_prompt.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=aG2LtQCwack7eY6N&q=85&s=0de2ad7f8dc160cd1aaaa655c44d2fb4" alt="Windows desktop with Anaconda Prompt in the taskbar search field." width="3460" height="2164" data-path="images/anaconda_prompt.png" />
    </Frame>

    Your Anaconda Prompt window will display something like the following, with your base environment activated by default:

    ```sh theme={null}
    (base) C:\Users\myusername>
    ```

    Run the following command in Anaconda Prompt to see a list of installed packages:

    <CodeGroup>
      ```sh Command theme={null}
      conda list
      ```

      ```sh Example output theme={null}
      # packages in environment at C:\Users\myusername\anaconda3:
      #
      # Name                           Version               Build               Channel
      _anaconda_depends                2025.12               py313_openblas_0
      aiobotocore                      2.25.0                py313hca03da5_0
      aiodns                           3.5.0                 py313hca03da5_1
      aiohappyeyeballs                 2.6.1                 py313hca03da5_0
      ...
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## What's next?

* Integrate conda with your [preferred IDE](/getting-started/guides/ides/main) to streamline package management directly in your development environment.
* Explore [Working with conda](/getting-started/working-with-conda/main) to understand channels, environments, and package management workflows.
* The official [conda documentation](https://docs.conda.io/en/latest/) covers advanced topics like custom channels, build recipes, and performance optimization.

## Advanced install options

For more advanced installation options, such as installing with silent mode, installing on older operating systems, or installing for multiple users, see [Advanced installation](/getting-started/advanced-install/main).

## Troubleshooting

<Troubleshoot>
  <TroubleshootTitle>
    ### Windows permission errors when installing from Favorites folder
  </TroubleshootTitle>

  <TroubleshootCause>
    The Windows Favorites folder has unusual permissions and may cause permission errors with installers of any software. If you try launching the installer from the Favorites folder, you may see errors such as "Setup was unable to create the directory", "Access is denied", or "Error opening file for writing".
  </TroubleshootCause>

  <TroubleshootSolution>
    Move the installer to a different folder and run the installer from the new folder.
  </TroubleshootSolution>
</Troubleshoot>

<Troubleshoot>
  <TroubleshootTitle>
    ### Cannot see Anaconda menu shortcuts after installation on Windows
  </TroubleshootTitle>

  <TroubleshootCause>
    After installing on Windows, the Anaconda Prompt and Anaconda Navigator shortcuts do not appear in the Windows Start menu.<br /><br />

    This may be caused by the way Windows updates the Start menu, or by having multiple versions of Python installed that are interfering with one another. Existing Python installations, installations of Python modules in global locations, or libraries that have the same names as Anaconda libraries can all prevent Anaconda from working properly.
  </TroubleshootCause>

  <TroubleshootSolution>
    If Start menu shortcuts are missing, Microsoft recommends rebooting your computer or [restarting Windows Explorer](https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-performance/force-refresh-of-start-menu-start-screen-in/ee4e36d2-91d0-4f34-9eb8-b17ab096e83c?auth=1).<br /><br />

    If that doesn't work, clear your `$PYTHONPATH` environment variable, if applicable, and re-install Anaconda.<br /><br />

    Other potential solutions are covered in the "Conflicts with system state" section of the following [blog post](https://www.anaconda.com/blog/who-you-gonna-call-halloween-tips-treats-to-protect-you-from-ghosts-gremlins-and-software-vulnerabilities).
  </TroubleshootSolution>
</Troubleshoot>

<Troubleshoot>
  <TroubleshootTitle>
    ### Windows error: Failed to create Anaconda menus or Failed to add Anaconda to the system PATH
  </TroubleshootTitle>

  <TroubleshootCause>
    During installation on a Windows system, a dialog appears that says "Failed to create Anaconda menus, Abort Retry Ignore" or "Failed to add Anaconda to the system PATH." There are many possible Windows causes for this.
  </TroubleshootCause>

  <TroubleshootSolution>
    Try these solutions, in order:

    * Do not install on a PATH longer than 1024 characters.
    * Turn off anti-virus programs before installing, then turn the anti-virus programs back on.
    * Uninstall all previous Python installations.
    * Clear all PATHs related to Python in sysdm.cpl file.
    * Delete any previously set up Java PATHs.
    * If JDK is installed, uninstall it.

    <Note>
      To find your path variable:

      1. Search for "environment variables" in the search in your taskbar.
      2. Click **Edit the System Environment Variables** in the sidebar.
      3. Click **Environment Variables** in the System Properties dialog.
      4. Highlight the **path** variable for your user.
      5. Click **Edit**.
    </Note>
  </TroubleshootSolution>
</Troubleshoot>

<Troubleshoot>
  <TroubleshootTitle>
    ### Anaconda interfering with other software on Windows
  </TroubleshootTitle>

  <TroubleshootCause>
    If a user chooses to add Anaconda to the Windows PATH, this can cause programs to use the new Anaconda versions of software (like Python) and not the versions that were already in place. In some cases, this can cause incompatibility and errors.
  </TroubleshootCause>

  <TroubleshootSolution>
    Anaconda does NOT recommend adding Anaconda to the Windows PATH manually. Instead, use Anaconda software by opening Anaconda Navigator or Anaconda Prompt from the Start Menu.
  </TroubleshootSolution>
</Troubleshoot>

<Troubleshoot>
  <TroubleshootTitle>
    ### Trouble with activation on PowerShell on Windows
  </TroubleshootTitle>

  <TroubleshootCause>
    Some users might run into the following backtrace on Windows:

    ```sh theme={null}
    File "C:\Users\damia\Miniconda3\lib\site-packages\conda\activate.py", line 550, in _replace_prefix_in_path
    assert last_idx is not None
    AssertionError
    ```
  </TroubleshootCause>

  <TroubleshootSolution>
    1. Open a Command Prompt window.
    2. Navigate to where you installed conda. The following command shows the default:

       ```sh theme={null}
       cd C:\Users\<USERNAME>
       ```
    3. Run the following command:

       ```sh theme={null}
       python -m conda init
       ```
    4. Close the Command Prompt window.

           <Note>
             If the above method didn't work, try running:

             ```sh theme={null}
             conda update conda
             ```
           </Note>
  </TroubleshootSolution>
</Troubleshoot>

<Troubleshoot>
  <TroubleshootTitle>
    ### Proxy request sent, not found
  </TroubleshootTitle>

  <TroubleshootCause>
    Your company likely has security policies or a firewall in place that prevent communications with external servers or certain URLs.
  </TroubleshootCause>

  <TroubleshootSolution>
    1. First, work with your IT team to allowlist connections to the following URLs:

       ```txt theme={null}
       https://anaconda.org
       https://repo.anaconda.com
       https://repo.anaconda.cloud
       ```

           <Note>
             Allowlisting `https://repo.anaconda.cloud` is only necessary if your company has an Anaconda Platform (Cloud) organization and you require access to channels in that organization.
           </Note>

    2. [Install](/getting-started/main) Anaconda Distribution or Miniconda again.

    Once your installation is complete, you might also need to connect your company's firewall/proxy server to your conda configuration file (`.condarc`). For more information on this, see [Using Anaconda behind a firewall or proxy](/anaconda-platform/cloud/getting-started-with-anaconda-platform#using-anaconda-behind-a-firewall-or-proxy-optional).
  </TroubleshootSolution>
</Troubleshoot>