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A conda package is a file that installs a specific software library or tool into a , along with any required dependencies. You can install packages from sources like Anaconda’s public repository, Anaconda.org, or conda-forge. For more information about installing packages, see the official conda documentation.
Because conda is a command-line tool, this page outlines the most common workflows for installing packages in your environment using Anaconda Prompt (Terminal for macOS/Linux users). If you prefer to use a graphical interface, you can also perform these actions using Anaconda Navigator.
Anaconda strongly recommends creating separate conda environments for each of your projects. This protects your base environment from breaking due to complex package dependency conflicts, helps to simplify environment management, and aids in the reproducibility of your environment on other machines.

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Using conda install

Use the conda install command to install packages into an environment. Run conda install --help to see a list of available options.
To install a single package, run the following command:
conda install <PACKAGE>
Replace <PACKAGE> with the name of the package you want to install.

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Specifying an environment

If no environment is specified in the command, conda installs the requested package(s) in your currently active environment.
To install a package in an environment that is not your currently active environment, specify the environment name: 
conda install <PACKAGE> --name <ENVIRONMENT>
Replace <PACKAGE> with the name of the package you want to install.
Replace <ENVIRONMENT> with the name of the environment where you want to install the package.

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Specifying a channel

By default, conda installs packages using the channel priorities defined in your .condarc configuration file. You can override this behavior in one of two ways, depending on how you want conda to handle the package dependencies:
Using the double-colon syntax :: in the command installs the specified package from the specified channel, but immediately falls back to your user-defined channel priorities to install any necessary package dependencies.
conda install <CHANNEL>::<PACKAGE>
Replace <PACKAGE> with the name of the package you want to install.
Replace <CHANNEL> with the URL or name of the channel you want to install from.

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Specifying package versions

By default, when installing packages from the command line, conda retrieves the latest possible versions of the requested package(s) (and their dependencies) that are compatible with the current environment. To define package versions, conda uses MatchSpec as its query language. MatchSpec also allows for wildcard characters and match ranges. For more information, see the official conda documentation on match specifications. Here is an example command that installs NumPy version 2.2.2 and its dependencies: 
conda install numpy=2.2.2

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Downloading a package file

Conda downloads package archive files (.conda or .tar.bz2) to your package cache when you install a new package. This makes conda more efficient when you need to use the same package in multiple places, but the package cache also enables you to copy or use the package archive file in different ways.
Your package cache is located in the /pkgs folder of your installation folder. Possible default installation locations include:
Operating SystemInstallerFile Location
WindowsGraphical installer (.exe)\Users\<USERNAME>\anaconda3\
macOSGraphical installer (.pkg)/opt/anaconda3/
macOSCommand line installer (.sh)/anaconda3/
LinuxCommand line installer (.sh)/anaconda3/
Replace anaconda3 with miniconda3 for Miniconda installations
To see your exact package cache file location, open Anaconda Prompt (Terminal in macOS/Linux) and run the following command:
conda info
Some uses for package archive files include offline installing of packages onto an air-gapped machine or the creation of custom channels for local or network file system use. For more information on creating custom channels, see Creating custom channels in the official conda documentation. To download a package file without installing the package, run the following command: 
conda install <PACKAGE>=<VERSION> --download-only
Replace <PACKAGE> with the name of the package you want to download.
Optionally, specify the package <VERSION>.
This command downloads the package file to your package cache without installing it to your currently-active environment.
One way to determine what archive file type a package install uses is to use the --info flag when searching for the package:
conda search <PACKAGE>=<VERSION> --info
Replace <PACKAGE> with the name of the package you are searching for.
Optionally, specify the package <VERSION> to shorten the search list.
The extension in the file name and url for each package version shows what type of file will be downloaded:
Example package information
tqdm 4.67.1 py39h33ce5c2_0
--------------------------
file name   : tqdm-4.67.1-py39h33ce5c2_0.conda
name        : tqdm
version     : 4.67.1
build       : py39h33ce5c2_0
build number: 0
size        : 134 KB
license     : MPL-2.0 AND MIT
subdir      : osx-arm64
url         : https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/main/osx-arm64/tqdm-4.67.1-py39h33ce5c2_0.conda
md5         : 80aa4362a9cbae52debf8ee965f51732
timestamp   : 2025-02-07 15:55:08 UTC
constraints :
  - ipywidgets >=6
dependencies:
  - python >=3.9,<3.10.0a0

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Installing packages from a local file (air-gapped networks)

If you’re working on a machine without internet access, you can install packages in an environment directly from .conda or .tar.bz2 files that are stored on your local file system: 
conda install <PATH_TO_PACKAGE>.conda
Replace <PATH_TO_PACKAGE> with the relative or absolute path to the package file.
If conda can’t find the file, try using an absolute path instead of a relative one.
Conda supports both .conda and .tar.bz2 file types, but .conda archive files are the most common. For more information on the .conda file format, see .conda file format in the official conda documentation.
Installing a package directly from a local file does not resolve its dependencies. If your installed package does not work, you might have missing dependencies that need to be resolved manually.

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Troubleshooting

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command not found: conda

Cause
The command not found: conda error occurs when your command line interface (CLI) can’t find the conda command in order to use it. This might be because:
  • You don’t have conda properly initialized.
  • You have set auto_activate_base to false.
  • You’re using a shell that conda doesn’t support.
  • Conda is not installed or the install was incomplete or corrupted.
These issues primarily occur on macOS/Linux computers. Anaconda Distribution and Miniconda installations on Windows include Anaconda Prompt, which opens with conda initialized by default.
Solution
If you recently installed Anaconda Distribution or Miniconda, make sure you closed and reopened your CLI to make conda’s initialization take effect.
If you don’t want to close your CLI, you can also use one of the following source commands to refresh your shell:
source ~/.bashrc
Use the command that matches your shell.
You can also initialize conda directly from its bin directory:
<PATH_TO_CONDA>/bin/conda init
Replace <PATH_TO_CONDA> with a path to your conda installation.
To see the value for auto_activate_base, run the following command:
conda config --describe auto_activate_base
If your terminal returns false, this means that conda is not automatically activating your base environment when you start a new shell. This behavior emulates your system Python, and some users prefer to have their conda environment be inactive until they need it. However, this is not conda’s default behavior after installation.To change the value of auto_activate_base to true, run the following command:
conda config --set auto_activate_base true
If you have auto_activate_base set as false, the conda command will still be available as a shell function, but your base environment will not be active when a new shell is started. To activate your base environment, run conda activate.
For information on which shells conda supports, see Conda activate in the official conda documentation.
If you have tried to initialize conda in your shell but it didn’t work, try uninstalling and reinstalling Anaconda Distribution or Miniconda.
Make sure that you say yes to the initialization option, and, if installing from the CLI, reinitialize your shell by restarting it or using its source command. For more information, see Initialize conda in your shell.

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DirectoryNotACondaEnvironmentError: The target directory exists, but it is not a conda environment

Cause
This error means that you don’t have a conda environment currently active. You might have used conda deactivate while in your base environment and deactivated conda.
Solution
Activate your base environment or another environment:
# Activate your base environment
conda activate

# Activate an environment by name
conda activate <ENV_NAME>
Replace <ENV_NAME> with the name of the environment.