Install, uninstall, and upgrade Python packages

IntelliJ IDEA provides methods for installing, uninstalling, and upgrading Python packages for a particular Python SDK. It means that each project has its own set of packages, which is considered a best practice for Python dependency management. By default, IntelliJ IDEA uses pip to manage project packages. For Conda environments you can use the conda package manager.

In IntelliJ IDEA, you can preview and manage packages in the Python Packages tool window and in the Python interpreter Settings.

Manage packages in the Python Packages tool window

The Python Packages tool window provides the quickest and neat way to preview and install packages for the currently selected Python interpreter. This window is enabled by default, and you can find it in the lower group of the tool windows. At any time you can open it using the main menu: View | Tool Windows | Python Packages.

The Python Packages tool window shows installed packages and the packages available in the PyPI and Conda package repositories. Use the Search field to filter out the list of the available packages.

You can preview package documentation in the documentation area, or you can click the Documentation link and open the corresponding resource in a browser.

To delete an installed package, click in the upper-right corner of the Python Package tool window.

Install packages from repositories

Start typing the package name in the Search field of the Python Package tool window. You should be able to see the number of the matching packages.
Expand the list of the available versions in the upper-right corner of the tool window. Select the required version or keep it the latest.
Click the Install with pip button next to the version list. Once IntelliJ IDEA notifies you about successful installation, you should see the package in the list of the installed packages.
If needed, click and provide a path to any custom repository you want to install from.

Manage package repositories

To specify a custom repository, including devpi or PyPi, click on the Python Packages toolbar.
In the Python Packages Repositories dialog, click to add a new repository. If no authorization is required, for example, in the case of a local repository, type the target URL and click OK.
If you want to install Python packages from a repository that requires HTTP authorization, click Basic HTTP and type the repository URL and the login credentials. Click OK to complete the task.

Once the repository is added, it appears in the list of the repositories in the Python Packages tool window.

Install packages from Version Control System

Click the Add Package link on the Python Packages toolbar and select From Version Control.
Specify a path to the target git repository. Refer to pip documentation for more information about supported path formats.
Select Install as editable (-e) if you want to install a project in editable mode (for example, setuptools develop mode).

Install packages from a local machine

Click the Add Package link on the Python Packages toolbar and select From Disk.
Specify a path to the package directory or an archive (zip or whl).

Manage packages in the Python interpreter settings

To manage Python packages for the Python interpreter, navigate to File | Project Structure, select SDKs under the Platform Settings section, and select the target Python SDK from the list of the available SDKs. Switch to the Packages tab to preview the list of the available packages.

If you select a Python SDK with the configured Conda environment, the Use Conda Package Manager toggle appears in the Packages tab toolbar.

Use this toggle to install and upgrade packages from Conda package repositories. This toggle is enabled by default for Conda environments.

Install a package

Click the button on the package toolbar.
In the Available Packages dialog that opens, preview the list of the available packages and type the name of the package to install in the Search field.
If required, select the following checkboxes:
- Specify version: if this checkbox is selected, you can select the desired version from the list of available versions. By default, the latest version is taken.
- Options: If this checkbox is selected, you can type the pip install command-line options in the text field.
- Install to user's site packages directory <path>: If this checkbox is left cleared (by default), then the packages will be installed into the current interpreter package directory. If the checkbox is selected, the packages will be installed into the specified directory. This option is not available for Conda environments.
Select the target package and click Install Package.

Uninstall a package

In the Packages tab , select the packages to be removed.
Click Uninstall (). The selected packages are removed from the interpreter.

IntelliJ IDEA smartly tracks the status of packages and recognizes outdated versions by showing the currently installed package version (column Version), and the latest available version (column Latest version). When a newer version of a package is detected, IntelliJ IDEA marks it with the arrow sign and suggests to upgrade it.

By default, the Latest version column shows only stable versions of the packages. If you want to extend the scope of the latest available versions to any pre-release versions (such as beta or release candidate), click Show early releases.

Show latest available versions including beta and release candidates

Upgrade a package

In the Packages tab , select the package to be upgraded.
Click Upgrade ().
The selected packages are upgraded to the latest available versions.
Click OK to complete upgrading.

If you're accustomed to installing packages from the command line, you can proceed with your workflow using the Terminal.

Last modified: 13 February 2023