Anaconda Navigator

Anaconda Navigator is a desktop graphical interface included with the Anaconda Distribution that lets you launch tools and manage Conda packages, environments, and channels without using the command line or terminal. Anaconda now treats Navigator as a legacy product. Its documentation lives under the legacy section of the Anaconda docs, and support runs through the end of 2026, with Anaconda Desktop as its successor for new users.

Installation and Setup

Navigator is installed with the Anaconda Distribution. If you use Miniconda, install it into the base environment and launch it as follows:

Shell 
$ conda install --name base anaconda-navigator
$ anaconda-navigator

If you installed Miniconda with the protected base installer, then the base environment is frozen, so use conda self install anaconda-navigator instead.

Key Features

  • Creates, activates, removes, updates, and exports conda environments, including environments with different Python versions using a GUI.
  • Browses and updates packages in the active environment, using the channels you’ve configured.
  • Launches applications, such as Spyder, Jupyter Notebook, JupyterLab, Qt Console, and VS Code, plus optional tiles for PyCharm, RStudio, Orange, and Glueviz.
  • Manages channels and repository connections.
  • Supports firewall-restricted setups via allowlisting and an offline mode when needed.

Usage

  1. Start Navigator with the anaconda-navigator command or open it from your system launcher.
  2. Open Environments to create and activate an environment and choose a Python version if needed.
  3. Use the package list and search to install, upgrade, or remove packages in the active environment.
  4. Launch an application such as Spyder or Jupyter Notebook from Home.
  5. Optionally export an environment to help reproduce it on another system.
Python Virtual Environments (venv)

Course

Working With Python Virtual Environments

This course demonstrates how Python's virtual environments work as a "sandbox" and you get a quick walkthrough on how to set up a new environment (or virtualenv, as they're called for short) and how to install third-party packages into it using the pip command.

basics tools

For additional information on related topics, take a look at the following resources:

By Leodanis Pozo Ramos • Updated Sept. 15, 2026
Python Tools Share Feedback