How to set up a Python venv virtual environment
To set up a Python venv virtual environment, follow these steps:
✅ 1. Check if Python is installed
Open a terminal or command prompt and type:
python3 --version
Or on Windows:
python --version
You should see something like:
Python 3.11.8. If not, install Python from python.org.
✅ 2. Create a virtual environment
In your project folder, run:
python3 -m venv venv
Or on Windows:
python -m venv venv
- This creates a folder called
venv/that contains the isolated environment.
✅ 3. Activate the virtual environment
On Linux/macOS:
source venv/bin/activate
On Windows (cmd.exe):
venv\Scripts\activate.bat
On Windows (PowerShell):
venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
After activation, your prompt should change to show
(venv).
✅ 4. Install packages inside the virtual environment
Now that it’s activated, you can install packages like this:
pip install <package-name>
Example:
pip install numpy
✅ 5. Deactivate the virtual environment
When you’re done, simply run:
deactivate