Why isn't Anaconda distribution functioning on Windows 10 64 bit?

Question

I am having trouble getting the Anaconda distribution to function properly on my Windows 10 computer (64 bit).

I downloaded the 64 bit graphical installer for Python 3.7. I installed Anaconda for all users and it lives in this path:

C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3

(I also tried to install for “just my user” but it didn’t help.)

The issue is my computer does not recognize Anaconda. When I open my command prompt and enter in “conda” , “jupyter notebook”, or “python” - I get an error message below:

'conda/jupyter/python' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

I uninstalled and reinstalled and selected the checkbox during the setup wizard to “add Anaconda to my PATH environment variable” and I still received the same error message when using the command prompt to locate Anaconda.

I then manually attempted to add the following paths to my PATH environment variable (for both user and system variables):

C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3
C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3\Scripts
C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3\Library\bin

That still did not work. I restarted my computer and tried it again - did not work.

I also cannot use Anaconda Prompt or Anaconda Navigator. I understand that they are supposed to be available through the start menu after installation, but they are not. I have also tried to locate them through the Command Prompt but they are not there either.

Overall, I have restarted my computer and reinstalled Anaconda numerous times and nothing has worked. I’m not sure what to do next.

Answer 1

I installed the earlier anaconda32020.02 64 bit from the archive and it worked fine.

I'll update to 2020.07 at a later(debugged) date.

Answer 2

Downloading a previous version of the anaconda distribution might do it.

Check out the archive to find and download your choice of preference.

Answer 3

I tried to install Anaconda 3.7 in windows 10 and, for some reason, only the 32bit version worked. For the 64bit I can't find the launching icons and conda commands are not recognized in the cmd.

Answer 4

I have discovered the answer! It seems that my virus software (McAfee Endpoint Security) was blocking Anaconda from working correctly. The workaround was to install an older version of Python (I used the Dec. 2018 version) from the Continuum repo here.

Answer 5

open up a windows cmd prompt and try set PATH=/c/programdata\anaconda3:$PATH It is important to note that the exe file for Anaconda is _conda.exe. So to check if this was successful type which python and which _conda into the command prompt.