This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Yizhen Zheng
Background
When your Windows username contains non-ASCII characters (Japanese, Chinese, etc.), conda cannot be installed in the default user directory path. This will cause a common conda init inside that path cannot setup terminal automatically. This guide shows how to setup conda scripts manually.
Installation Setup
1. Install Conda in ASCII-only Path
- Install conda in a path without non-ASCII characters, such as
C:\miniconda
2. Configure Conda script and PowerShell Profile
Since conda’s automatic initialization may not work properly with non-ASCII usernames, you need to manually configure PowerShell:
- Create/edit PowerShell profile:
notepad $PROFILE
If the file doesn’t exist, create it when prompted.
Add conda initialization to the profile file:
$ENV:PATH = "C:\miniconda\condabin;" + $ENV:PATH
ReplaceC:\minicondawith your actual conda installation path.Save and restart PowerShell
Set execution policy (run PowerShell as Administrator)(needed in some cases):
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
3. Verify Installation
After restarting PowerShell, you should see (base) in your prompt, indicating conda is active.
Environment Management
Creating and Using Virtual Environments
# Create new environment with specific Python version
conda create -n myenv python=3.12
# Activate environment
conda activate myenv
# Verify Python version
python -V
# Install packages
conda install package_name
# or
pip install package_name
# Deactivate environment
conda deactivate
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Yizhen Zheng