Install Anaconda Python: Windows, macOS and Linux Steps

To install Anaconda Python, download the installer for your operating system from Anaconda’s download page, run it, and then confirm the install by opening a terminal and running conda list. The steps differ by system: a graphical installer on Windows and macOS, a shell script on Linux. This guide gives the current steps for each, the system requirements to check first, and the two settings that cause most install problems. Details follow Anaconda’s own documentation, checked on 2026-10-29.

What Anaconda Python is used for in research

Anaconda Distribution installs conda, Python, Anaconda Navigator and several hundred data science packages into a pre-built base environment, so you can open a notebook or run an analysis without installing anything else. Researchers use it to get a working Python analysis stack in one step. If you are still deciding whether you need the full distribution, read the differences between Python and Anaconda first; this page covers only the installation itself.

Check system requirements before you download

Anaconda’s system requirements page lists the following (checked 2026-10-29):

• Windows: Windows 11 version 23H2 or later, 64-bit. Support for 23H2 and older ends on November 10, 2026.
• macOS: macOS 12.1 or later, on Apple silicon only.
• Linux: includes Ubuntu 20.04 and RHEL, AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux 8 and later; glibc 2.28 or later is required. CentOS 7, Ubuntu 16.04, Amazon Linux 2 and Debian 9 are not supported.
• Disk: at least 5 GB of free space. No RAM requirement is listed.

Install or access (official source only)

Download only from Anaconda’s own site, anaconda.com/download. Choose “Get Started with Anaconda Distribution”, register, and then select the installer for your system. Installer file names carry a version string; the Linux file named in the docs on 2026-10-29 was Anaconda3-2026.07-1-Linux-x86_64.sh, so expect a newer string over time.

Step-by-step: install Anaconda Python

Windows (graphical installer)

1. Download the “Windows 64-Bit Graphical Installer”.
2. Double-click the installer in your Downloads folder. Anaconda notes that launching it from Favorites can cause permission errors.
3. Click Next, then I Agree.
4. Choose “Just Me (Recommended)” or “All Users”. All Users requires Administrator rights.
5. Pick a destination folder. A path with no spaces or special characters is recommended.
6. On the options screen, leave “Create shortcuts” on. Leave “Add Anaconda3 to my PATH environment variable” off: Anaconda does not recommend it unless you run multiple Anaconda or Python versions. The other options are “Register Anaconda3 as my default Python 3.12” and “Clear the package cache upon completion”, which runs conda clean --all --force-pkgs-dirs.
7. Click Install, then Show details if you want to watch progress, Next twice, and Finish.

macOS (graphical installer)

1. Download the “64-Bit (Apple silicon) Graphical Installer”. Intel installers are only in Anaconda’s archive.
2. Double-click the .pkg file, then Continue to the license, Continue again, and Agree.
3. Continue installs to /opt/anaconda3 for all users, then click Install.
4. To install in your home folder instead, choose “Change Install Location…”, then “Install on a specific disk…”, then Choose Folder. Anaconda recommends its macOS terminal installer for home-directory or multi-user installs.

Linux (shell script)

1. Download the installer, for example curl -O https://repo.anaconda.com/archive/Anaconda3-2026.07-1-Linux-x86_64.sh (an aarch64 file is also published).
2. Optionally compare its sha256sum with the value listed at repo.anaconda.com/archive.
3. Run bash ~/Anaconda3-2026.07-1-Linux-x86_64.sh.
4. Press Return to read the terms, type yes to accept, press Return to accept the default location /home/<USER>/anaconda3, and type yes to initialize conda.
5. Reopen the terminal, or run source ~/.bashrc (zsh: ~/.zshrc; fish: exec fish).

Output and how to read it: verify the install

• Windows: open “Anaconda Prompt” from the Start menu. The prompt should read (base) C:Usersmyusername>. Run conda list or conda info --envs. Navigator opens automatically after a successful install.
• macOS: run conda list. The output starts with # packages in environment at /opt/anaconda3: and the prompt shows (base). You can also open Anaconda-Navigator from Launchpad.
• Linux: run conda list, then anaconda-navigator to start the graphical interface.

The (base) prefix means the base environment is active. For launching notebooks next, see using Anaconda for Jupyter Notebook; for keeping project packages separate, see sharing a reproducible conda environment.

Troubleshooting

“command not found: conda”

On macOS, reopen the terminal or run source ~/.zshrc (zsh). Then check conda config --describe auto_activate_base; if it is false, run conda config --set auto_activate_base true. On Linux, run /home/<USER>/anaconda3/bin/conda init and reopen the terminal. If none of the fixes work, Anaconda suggests uninstalling and reinstalling, answering yes to the initialization prompt.

“File or directory already exists” on Linux

Anaconda says not to use the -u or -f flags to get around this. Uninstall the existing copy and run the installer again.

Permission errors on Windows

Anaconda advises against launching the installer from the Favorites folder, because it can cause permission errors. Move the installer to another folder, such as Downloads, and run it from there. “All Users” requires Administrator privileges.

Alternatives to the full distribution

Option	What it installs	Source
Anaconda Distribution	conda, Python, Anaconda Navigator and 600+ packages; about 9.7 GB of install space	Anaconda docs, Distribution vs. Miniconda
Miniconda	conda, Python and dependencies only, 130+ packages, no Navigator; about 900 MB of install space	Anaconda docs, Distribution vs. Miniconda
Python from python.org with venv	Python itself; the standard-library venv module creates virtual environments	Python documentation, venv

Anaconda describes Miniconda as the better fit when you already know which packages your projects need. For how conda and pip interact once installed, see using conda, pip and mamba in one environment.

FAQ

How do I install Anaconda for Python?

Download the installer for your system from anaconda.com/download, run it, and verify with conda list. The full steps for Windows, macOS and Linux are above.

Should I add Anaconda to my PATH on Windows?

Anaconda does not recommend it unless you run multiple Anaconda or Python versions. Use Anaconda Prompt from the Start menu instead.

What is the difference between Anaconda Distribution and Miniconda?

Anaconda Distribution includes 600+ packages and Navigator (about 9.7 GB of install space); Miniconda includes 130+ packages and no Navigator (about 900 MB). See the table above.

Where does Anaconda install by default?

On macOS the graphical installer uses /opt/anaconda3; on Linux the default is /home/<USER>/anaconda3. On Windows, choose a path without spaces or special characters.

Sources (official docs)

• Anaconda, Windows graphical install: https://anaconda.com/docs/getting-started/anaconda/install/windows-gui-install.md (checked 2026-10-29)
• Anaconda, macOS graphical install: https://anaconda.com/docs/getting-started/anaconda/install/mac-gui-install.md (checked 2026-10-29)
• Anaconda, Linux install: https://anaconda.com/docs/getting-started/anaconda/install/linux-install.md (checked 2026-10-29)
• Anaconda, system requirements: https://anaconda.com/docs/getting-started/anaconda/system-requirements.md (checked 2026-10-29)
• Anaconda, Distribution vs. Miniconda: https://www.anaconda.com/docs/getting-started/miniconda/main.md (checked 2026-10-29)
• Python documentation, venv: https://docs.python.org/3/library/venv.html (checked 2026-10-29)