Channels

For an introduction to channels, see What is a channel?

Viewing available channels

To see which channels conda is currently configured to use, open Anaconda Prompt (Terminal on macOS/Linux) and run the following command:

conda config --show channels

Example return

channels:
  - defaults
  - conda-forge

Configuring channels

Conda reads its channel configuration from the .condarc file. To add, remove, or reorder channels, you’ll need to edit this file.

Locating your .condarc file

To locate your .condarc file, open Anaconda Prompt (Terminal on macOS/Linux) and run the following command:

conda config --show-sources

Example return:

==> /Users/<USERNAME>/miniconda3/.condarc <==
channels:
  - defaults

The .condarc is a hidden file on macOS and Linux. View hidden files and folders using the following guidance for your operating system:

macOS

Use Shift+Cmd+. in your Finder.

Linux

Use Alt+. or Ctrl+H (depending on your file manager).

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For more information on the .condarc file, see Using the .condarc conda configuration file in the official conda documentation.

Managing channels

Channels can be added to and removed from your channels: list by using conda commands in Anaconda Prompt (Terminal on macOS/Linux) or by manually editing your .condarc file.

Keep channel priority in mind when configuring your channels.

Using the command line

Use one of the following commands to add or remove a channel from your channels: list:

conda config <FLAG> channels <CHANNEL>

Replace <FLAG> with one of the command flags in the table below.
Replace <CHANNEL> with the channel you want to configure.

Command flag	Description
--add	Add a channel to the top of your channels: list.
--prepend	Add a channel to the top of your channels: list.
--append	Add a channel to the bottom of your channels: list.
--remove	Remove a channel from your channels: list.

Example

conda config --add channels conda-forge

Editing manually

1. Locate and open your .condarc file using your preferred text editor.
2. Add or remove channel names or URLs from the channels: list.

Configuring defaults

The defaults entry in your channels: list is a special alias.

When conda reaches the defaults channel in the channels: list, it searches the channels listed under default_channels: in descending order. If you haven’t configured any default_channels:, conda uses the hardcoded defaults that ship with Anaconda Distribution and Miniconda.

The default_channels: list can also be configured by using conda commands in Anaconda Prompt (Terminal on macOS/Linux) or by manually editing your .condarc file.

Overwriting your default channels

Adding any channel to the default_channels: list overwrites the hardcoded defaults that ship with Anaconda Distribution and Miniconda.

conda config --add default_channels <CHANNEL>

Replace <CHANNEL> with the URL of the channel you want to add.

Removing the defaults channel

Do not remove defaults from your channels: list if it is the only channel that you have configured in your .condarc. Doing so causes conda to error. Before you remove defaults, add another channel to your channels: list.

Remove defaults from your channels: list by running the following command:

conda config --remove channels defaults

Installing packages from a specific channel

When you run conda install, conda searches channels in your .condarc in priority order. To install a package from a specific channel, use either the double-colon syntax or the --channel flag. Both methods install a package from the channel you specify, but with different behaviors.

Using the double-colon syntax

Using the double-colon syntax installs the package from the specified channel, but installs that package’s dependencies from the channels in your .condarc file, following channel priority order.

conda install <CHANNEL>::<PACKAGE>

Replace <CHANNEL> with the channel you want to install from.
Replace <PACKAGE> with the package you want to install.

This is the recommended syntax for installing packages from a specific channel, as it is the least invasive to your environment.

Using the --channel flag

Using the --channel flag installs the package and the package’s dependencies from the specified channel. The channel you specify temporarily becomes the top priority channel in your list. This means more packages might end up being installed or updated from the specified channel than intended.

If any dependencies are not found in the specified channel, conda searches down the rest of your channels in priority order.

conda install --channel <CHANNEL> <PACKAGE>

Replace <CHANNEL> with the channel you want to install from.
Replace <PACKAGE> with the package you want to install.

Using a channel alias

A channel alias lets you refer to channels by name instead of their full URL. The default alias is https://conda.anaconda.org, so when you specify a channel like conda-forge by name in a conda command, conda automatically expands it to https://conda.anaconda.org/conda-forge.

For example, instead of having to run:

conda install --channel https://conda.anaconda.org/conda-forge numpy

You can run:

conda install --channel conda-forge numpy

You can configure the channel alias to point to a different location, such as an Anaconda Platform (Self-hosted) server.

For more information about setting a channel alias, see channel_alias: Set a channel alias in the official conda documentation.