> ## 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.

# Using your organization's channels

Building environments (A self-contained, isolated space for installing and running software packages.) with your organization's channels ensures that your project's software always complies with security standards.

## Anaconda channels

Anaconda hosts several channels that connect to our premium, curated repository (Any storage location from which software or software assets, like packages, can be retrieved and installed on a local computer.) and provide you with thousands of the most popular data science platform software packages available on the open source market today.

* `main`: The default channel for Anaconda. It contains the most popular packages from the Anaconda repository.
* `main-x`: A new authenticated Anaconda channel containing thousands of new conda packages built by Anaconda. It is meant to be used alongside `main`.
* `r`: Provides packages built for the R programming language ([End of Support](https://anaconda.com/docs/reference/policies-practices/software-version-support.md#end-of-support-eos) as of November 2025).
* `msys2`: Provides packages built for Windows ([End of Support](https://anaconda.com/docs/reference/policies-practices/software-version-support.md#end-of-support-eos) as of September 2026).

## Adding a channel to your `.condarc` file

In order to access packages from your organization's channels, you must configure your `.condarc` file to tell conda where the channel is located.

Complete the following steps to add one of your organizations' channels to your `.condarc` file:

1. [Navigate to your Organizations page](https://anaconda.com/app/profile/organizations).

2. Select your organization.

3. Select  **Channels** from the left-hand navigation.

4. Select  **Copy channel path**.

   ![Copy channel path button](https://mintcdn.com/anaconda-29683c67/XTSpR8a-Sn-FW1SQ/images/anaconda-platform/ap_copy_channel_path.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=XTSpR8a-Sn-FW1SQ\&q=85\&s=d26a6e0aa983c4d9722548552b1e3881)

5. Open your terminal and run the following command:

   ```sh theme={null}
   conda config --prepend channels <CHANNEL_PATH>
   ```

   Comments

   Replace \<CHANNEL\_PATH> with the copied channel path.

   This command adds the specified channel to the top of your `channels:` list, giving it top priority when conda is searching for packages. For more information about channel priority and additional conda config command arguments, see [Channels](https://anaconda.com/docs/getting-started/working-with-conda/channels.md#managing-channels).

   ```yaml Example .condarc file highlight={5} theme={null}
   channel_settings:
     - channel: https://repo.anaconda.cloud/*
       auth: anaconda-auth
   channels:
     - https://repo.anaconda.cloud/repo/<ORG_ID>/<CHANNEL_NAME>
     - defaults
   add_anaconda_token: true
   default_channels:
     - https://repo.anaconda.cloud/repo/main
   ```

   > [!NOTE]
   >
   > If you want to use your organizations' channels exclusively, make sure that they are the *only* channels present in your `.condarc`'s `channels:` list.

## Removing a channel from your `.condarc` file

To remove a channel from your `channels:` list, open Anaconda Prompt (A command-line application included with Windows installations of Anaconda Distribution and Miniconda. Find it by searching 'Anaconda Prompt' in the Windows Start menu.) (Terminal on macOS/Linux) and run the following command:

```sh theme={null}
conda config --remove channels <CHANNEL>
```

Comments

Replace \<CHANNEL> with the URL listed in the channels: section of the `.condarc` file.

For example, if you don't want to pull packages (Software files and information about the software, such as its name, version, and description, bundled into a file that can be installed and managed by a package manager.) from the default channels, you can run the following command:

```sh theme={null}
conda config --remove channels defaults
```

> [!NOTE]
>
> This will leave the channels listed under `default_channels:` in the `.condarc` file for later use, if needed, but won't look for packages in those locations.
>
> ***
>
> You can add the default channels to your `.condarc` file's `channels:` list at any time by running the command: `conda config --append channels defaults`

## Viewing channel details

From the  **Channels** page, select any channel to view its details. You can also explore the channel's [packages](https://anaconda.com/docs/anaconda-platform/user/packages.md) from this page.

The channel details page provides the following information about the channel:

* The channel's address (the URL you add to your `.condarc` file to access the channel's packages)
* General information about the channel
* Information about the policy that is applied to the channel

![Channel details page](https://mintcdn.com/anaconda-29683c67/XTSpR8a-Sn-FW1SQ/images/anaconda-platform/ap_channel_details.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=XTSpR8a-Sn-FW1SQ\&q=85\&s=c99d76b14f0396abd318bc7240eba887)