Installing for multiple users#

The default Anaconda installation option is “Just Me,” which creates an independent installation of Anaconda that will not be shared with other users on the same system. The other option is to install for all users.

All users#

If you have administrator access, you can choose to install for “All Users.” This is a good option for a multi-user system where you want to allow users to import Python libraries and run Python applications.

This option does not give write permissions by default, so the users will not be able to install packages in the base environment. It allows an administrator to protect what is in the base environment. If packages are needed in the base environment, elevate the privileges to administrator from the Command Prompt and run install commands.

Multi-user Anaconda installation on Windows#

  1. Download the Anaconda installer.

  2. Double-click the installer to launch.

  3. Click Next to continue.

  4. Read the licensing terms and click I Agree.

  5. Select an install for All Users (this requires administrator privileges on the computer) and click Next.

  6. Click Yes to allow the installer to make changes to your computer.

  7. Select a destination folder that is accessible to the users. The default is C:\ProgramData\Anaconda.

  8. After your install is complete, open Computer Management, navigate to Local Users and Groups. Create a new group for your Anaconda users. Add users to this new group, Anaconda-Users.

  9. Navigate to your Anaconda folder and then right-click and select Properties. Uncheck the box for Attributes: Read-only and save changes. Go to Security and click Edit. From there, add Anaconda-Users and set permissions. Your group will need read and write privileges.

Multi-user Anaconda installation on Linux#

To set up a multi-user Anaconda or Miniconda installation on Linux operating systems:

Note

sudo access is required.

  1. Install Anaconda.

  2. After installation is complete, do the following:

    #Create a new group
    sudo group add mygroup
    # Change the group ownership to "mygroup" on the entire directory where Anaconda is installed. Replace /PATH/TO/ANACONDA/INSTALL with the actual path to your installed Anaconda file.
    sudo chgrp -R mygroup /PATH/TO/ANACONDA/INSTALL
    # Set read and write permission for the owner, root, and the mygroup only. Replace /PATH/TO/ANACONDA/INSTALL with the actual path to your installed Anaconda file.
    sudo chmod 770 -R /PATH/TO/ANACONDA/INSTALL
    # Add users to a group. Replace USERNAME with the username of the user you are adding.
    sudo adduser username mygroup
    

    Users added to the “mygroup” group now have the ability to access Anaconda, install packages, and create environments.

This is another option for all-user installation. It installs Anaconda at C:\Anaconda, which is not a protected directory and can have write permissions set for users. This is a good option if your username has spaces in it because the Anaconda installer cannot install in paths that contain spaces.