Manage environments and packages#

Create a regular environment#

Run Python Envs: Create Environment, choose Conda Code, then choose one of the regular environment types:

Named environment: Creates an environment by name in one of conda’s configured environment directories.
Project prefix: Creates an environment at .conda below the registered project. This secondary option is interactive only.

Conda Code includes Python unless the requested package list already contains a Python specification.

Create from a project file#

Use Create from project files for environment.yml, explicit.txt, and supported conda-lock inputs. These create regular named environments.

Select an environment#

Use Set As Project Environment in the Python Environments view. A workspace environment can only be selected for the project that declares it. Regular environments can be selected for any compatible project.

Conda Code persists the manager-wide and project selections in the current VS Code workspace.

Remove an environment#

Use Delete Environment in the Python Environments view.

Conda Code removes:

named conda environments
project prefixes located exactly at <project>/.conda

Conda Code refuses to remove the base environment, another conda installation, a prefix that it cannot identify as named or <project>/.conda, or a prefix without valid conda-meta data.

Manage packages#

Open Manage Packages below a Conda Code environment.

For regular environments, Conda Code can:

install packages
update requested packages
remove packages
list conda package records

Raw pip-only distributions are omitted. Packages installed by conda-pypi have conda records and remain visible.

See the Package operations for the workspace differences.