Creating Python Virtual Environments with venv on macOS Tahoe
venv is a built-in module in Python 3 for creating lightweight "virtual environments". Each virtual environment has its own independent set of installed Python packages, allowing you to isolate project dependencies. This prevents conflicts between different projects that might require different versions of the same package.
Prerequisites
- Python 3.3 or later must be installed on your system. macOS Tahoe comes with Python pre-installed, but it is often an older version. It's recommended to install a newer version using Miniconda or Homebrew.
Creating a Virtual Environment
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Open your terminal and navigate to your project directory (or create one).
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Run the following command:
python3 -m venv .venvpython3: Specifies the Python 3 executable.-m venv: Tells Python to run thevenvmodule..venv: The name of the virtual environment directory. It's common to name it.venvto keep it hidden and out of the way.
Activating the Virtual Environment
Before you can use the virtual environment, you need to activate it. This modifies your shell's PATH to use the Python executable and packages within the environment.
source .venv/bin/activateYour terminal prompt will change to indicate that the environment is active (e.g., (.venv) $).
Installing Packages
With the virtual environment activated, you can install packages using pip:
pip install requests pandas numpyThese packages will be installed only within the virtual environment, not globally on your system.
Deactivating the Virtual Environment
When you are finished working on the project, deactivate the environment:
deactivateYour terminal prompt will return to normal.
Related Guides
- Installing Python in User Space with Miniconda on macOS Tahoe
- Pip (Installing packages without sudo)