Anaconda Navigator

Anaconda Navigator is a desktop graphical user interface included in Anaconda that allows you to easily manage conda packages, environments and channels without the need to use the command line

System Requirements

  • Navigator supports the same platforms that the Anaconda Distribution supports, including Windows XP and newer 32 or 64-bit, Ubuntu or Kubuntu 14.04 32-or 64-bit, or OS X 64-bit
  • Python 2.7, 3.4 or 3.5

How to get Anaconda Navigator

Anaconda Navigator is automatically installed when users download and install Anaconda.

If you already have Anaconda or Miniconda running on your system, you can install Anaconda Navigator with the command conda install anaconda-navigator.

How to start Anaconda Navigator

When you install Anaconda an icon is automatically added to your programs menu and/or your Desktop to launch Anaconda Navigator.

It is also possible to launch it from a terminal or command prompt with the command anaconda-navigator.

How to use Anaconda Navigator

A conda package is a compressed file that contains system-level libraries, Python or other modules, executable programs, or other components. Examples of conda packages pre-installed in Navigator include Jupyter Notebook, QTConsole, and Spyder. Hundreds more can be installed following the instructions below.

A conda environment is a directory that contains a specific collection of conda packages that you have installed. For example, you may have one environment with NumPy 2.7 and its dependencies, and another environment with NumPy 3.0 for testing. If you change one environment, your other environments are not affected.

A conda channel is simply a URL to directories containing conda packages.

There are four main components in Anaconda Navigator. Each one can be selected by clicking the corresponding tab on the left-hand column:

  • Home where you can install, upgrade, and launch applications.
  • Environments allows you to manage channels, environments and packages.
  • Learning shows a long list of learning resources in several categories: webinars, documentation, videos and training.
  • Community where you can connect to other users through events, forums and social media

Environments

The Environments tab allows you to manage installed environments, packages and channels. The left column lists the environments. The right column lists packages for the current environment; depending on the selected option it can show Installed, Not Installed, Upgradable, Downgradable and All packages.

../_images/navigator-environments.png
  • Activate or start up an environment. First you have to select it by clicking its name from the left column list of environments then click its “Start” icon. From the drop-down box that appears, choose whether to Open the environment in a Terminal window, Open in a Python interpreter, Open with a Jupyter Console or Open with a Jupyter Notebook; this will activate the environment and run the selected option.
  • Search environments on your computer by typing its name in the Search Environments box. Incremental search will show those whose name partially matches the current text in the search box.
  • Create a new environment by clicking the Create button, then give it a descriptive name, optionally select a version of Python, and click the Ok button.
  • Clone a copy of an existing environment by selecting its name, giving the new environment a descriptive name, then clicking the Clone button.
  • Remove an environment by selecting it, then clicking the Remove button.
  • Manage Packages using the filtering options. Installed and Search Packages filter the list so only those packages already installed which match the text in the search box will show up. A different set of packages will appear depending on the option selected from the drop-down box: Not Installed, Upgradable, Downgradable or All. A partial incremental search is performed on the package names and the package descriptions. The tick box to the left of each package can be used to mark it for installation, removal, or reinstallation to another specific version. After marking the packages to be modified click Apply to make the changes or Clear to reset all marks.
  • Channels See a list of channels. From the dialog you can Add or Remove and Update channels. NOTE: The changes here affect the whole conda installation and not just the selected environment.
  • Update package index... updates the list of all packages which are available in any of the enabled channels. Each of these packages may be installed into any environment.

To learn more about advanced package, environment and channel management from a terminal see their corresponding documentation: packages, environments.

TIP: If there are misaligned elements or if after installing a new application or package it doesn’t appear select the Home tab and click the Refresh button on the top right to reload the interface.

Learning

Learn more about Anaconda Navigator, the Anaconda platform, and open data science. Select Webinars, Documentation, Video, and/or Training, then click any item to have it open in a browser window.

../_images/navigator-learning.png

Community

Learn more about the events, forums and social networking relating to Anaconda Navigator. Select Events, Forum and/or Social, then click any item to have it open in a browser window.

TIP: Join the Anaconda forum to get help from the community in learning Anaconda and Anaconda Navigator.

../_images/navigator-learning.png

Utility Navigation

Anaconda Navigator Menu

  • File -> Preferences allows you to reset the Anaconda API domain and conda domain, allows you to select or deselect whether to provide personally non-identifiable information to help improve the product, and to select or deselect whether to show application environments. These preferences may all be reset back to defaults by clicking the Reset to defaults button.
  • File -> Quit to exit Navigator. A confirmation dialog box will appear, there you can tick the Don’t show again box to exit without confirmation the next time.
  • Help -> Online Documentation Links to this documentation, which can be accessed from any web browser. Help -> About Displays information about Anaconda Navigator, including a link for bug reports and feature requests. Help -> Logs Viewer allows you to review the logs of everything you have done in Anaconda Navigator since you started this session. There are two or more files that can be selected from the drop-down list: navigator.log that refers to the actual application logs and condamanager.log which refers to logs on the specific conda-manager component. As the application is used more log files are created with a number appended to the name. More recent log files have a higher number.
  • Services (OS X Only) Links to your computer’s system preferences menu.
  • Hide Python (OS X Only) Hides your Anaconda Navigator window.
  • Hide Others (OS X Only) Hides all windows except your Anaconda Navigator window.
  • Show All (OS X Only) Brings back all windows including your Anaconda Navigator window

Sign in to Anaconda Cloud

For your convenience in locating packages and channels available only on Anaconda Cloud, sign in for seamless transition between your computer and Anaconda Cloud. If you are already logged into Anaconda Cloud this appears as, “signed in as [username]”.

Updating Anaconda Navigator

Every time Anaconda Navigator starts it checks if a new version is available. If it finds a new one a dialog box will pop up where you can chose to update or keep your current version.

Next Steps

NEXT: Try Navigator yourself with a quick and easy How-to on using Navigator with Pandas, or jump right to the Navigator Tutorial.

Also see the Navigator Glossary.

Support

For free community support, join the Anaconda Mailing List.

Please report bugs on the Anaconda GitHub issue tracker.

Training and consulting is available for Anaconda Navigator and all Anaconda products. For more information, please contact your account representative or sales@continuum.io.

Anaconda Navigator is copyright 2016 Continuum Analytics, Inc. May be copied and distributed freely only as part of an Anaconda or Miniconda installation.