Setting Up Conda in Windows: A Complete Guide

Author: Bo Yuan (boy6@illinois.edu)

Course: STAT 530, Spring 2025

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This tutorial will walk you through setting up Conda, Miniconda, or Miniforge in Windows, including installation, environment setup, and common troubleshooting steps.

Installation Options

Miniforge (Recommended)

1. Download Miniforge from: https://conda-forge.org/download/

2. Run the installer

3. Installation directory will typically be: C:\Users\YourUsername\miniforge3

Miniconda (Alternative)

Anaconda installation is in the same page with Miniconda , don’t install the wrong one.

1. Download Miniconda from: https://www.anaconda.com/download/success

2. Run the installer

3. Installation directory will typically be: C:\Users\YourUsername\miniconda3

Anaconda (Full Distribution)

1. Download Anaconda from: https://www.anaconda.com/download/success

2. Run the installer

3. Installation directory will typically be: C:\Users\YourUsername\anaconda3

Setting Up PowerShell/CMD Integration

Basic Setup

1. Open PowerShell and run:

conda init powershell
conda init cmd.exe

2. Close and reopen PowerShell/CMD

3. You should see (base) at the start of your prompt

Common Errors and Solutions

Error 1: “conda not recognized”

If you see this error:

conda : The term 'conda' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check
the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.
At line:1 char:1
+ conda init powershell
+ ~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ObjectNotFound: (conda:String) [], CommandNotFoundException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException

Solution:

1. Locate your installation directory (installation_name: miniforge3, miniconda3, or anaconda3)

2. Add these paths to your system environment variables:

   C:\Users\YourUsername\[installation_name]
   C:\Users\YourUsername\[installation_name]\Scripts
   C:\Users\YourUsername\[installation_name]\Library\bin
   

To add environment variables:

1. Got to “Settings” → “System” → “About”

2. Click “Advanced system settings”

3. Click “Environment Variables”

4. Under “System variables”, find “Path”

5. Click “Edit” → “New”

6. Add each path

7. Click “OK” to save

Error 2: “Running Scripts is Disabled”

If you see this error:

. : File C:\Users\YourUsername\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\profile.ps1 cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled
on this system. For more information, see about_Execution_Policies at https:/go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=135170.
At line:1 char:3
+ . 'C:\Users\YourUsername\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\profile.ps1'
+   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : SecurityError: (:) [], PSSecurityException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : UnauthorizedAccess

Solution:

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator

2. Check current policy:

Get-ExecutionPolicy

3. Set new policy:

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

4. Type “Y” when prompted

5. Close and reopen PowerShell

Error 3: “mamba not recognized” after Miniforge Installation

Run:

mamba --version

If you see this error after installing Miniforge:

mamba : The term 'mamba' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check 
the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.
At line:1 char:1
+ mamba create -n stat530 python=3.10
+ CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (mamba:String) [], CommandNotFoundException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException

Solution:

1. First, check your current conda environments:

conda env list

If you see multiple base environments like this:

conda environments:

base                  *  C:\Users\YourUsername\anaconda3
                         C:\Users\YourUsername\miniforge3

This means you have conflicting conda installations. To fix:

1. Deactivate current conda initialization:

conda init --reverse

2. Update your system environment variables:

   • Open System Properties → Advanced → Environment Variables

   • Under “System Variables”, find “Path”

   • Remove any paths containing “anaconda3”

   • Add or ensure these paths exist:

     C:\Users\YourUsername\miniforge3
     C:\Users\YourUsername\miniforge3\Scripts
     C:\Users\YourUsername\miniforge3\Library\bin
     

3. Close and reopen PowerShell

4. Reinitialize conda for Miniforge:

conda init powershell

5. Close and reopen PowerShell again

6. Verify the correct base environment:

conda env list

You should now see the Miniforge environment is activated now:

conda environments:

base                  *  C:\Users\YourUsername\miniforge3
                         C:\Users\YourUsername\anaconda3

7. Now you can use mamba commands:

mamba create -n stat530 python=3.10

Managing Multiple Conda Installations

If you have multiple conda installations (e.g., both Anaconda and Miniforge), you might see something like this:

# conda environments:
#
base                  *  C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\anaconda3
env1                     C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\anaconda3\envs\env1
                        C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\miniconda3
                        C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\miniconda3\envs\env2

To switch between installations:

1. Deactivate current conda initialization:

conda init --reverse powershell

2. Remove unwanted installation:

   • Open Windows Settings → Apps & Features

   • Search for the unwanted installation (e.g., “Anaconda”)

   • Uninstall

   • Remove remaining directory:

     Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\anaconda3"
     

3. Initialize desired conda:

C:\Users\YourUsername\[installation_name]\Scripts\conda.exe init powershell

Managing Auto-Activation

To disable auto-activation of base environment:

conda config --set auto_activate_base false

To enable auto-activation:

conda config --set auto_activate_base true

Best Practices

1. Choose one conda distribution and stick with it:

   • Miniforge: If you want conda-forge as default channel + mamba

   • Miniconda: If you want minimal installation

   • Anaconda: If you want full scientific distribution

2. Always check your environment before creating new ones:

conda env list
where conda

3. Close and reopen terminals after making environment changes

4. Use RemoteSigned execution policy for balance of security and usability

5. Keep track of your environment locations

6. Regularly check conda env list to understand your setup

Setup Environment for the Class

1. Create new environments for different projects:

conda create -n stat530 python=3.10

2. Activate environments:

conda activate stat530

3. Install Jupyter (make sure you are under stat530 environment before you do this):

pip install jupyter

Additional Resources

• Conda documentation: https://docs.conda.io/

• Miniforge GitHub repository: conda-forge/miniforge

• Miniconda documentation: https://docs.conda.io/en/latest/miniconda.html

Support

If you encounter issues not covered in this guide:

1. Check the conda documentation

2. Run conda info for system information

3. Look for error messages in the conda output

4. Consult with TA (Bo Yuan: boy6@illinois.edu)