Anaconda

ApplicationAnaconda, Inc.

Also called anaconda navigator, conda, anaconda3

Anaconda, Inc.Productivity

A Python distribution plus Anaconda Navigator. The Windows process for the GUI is anaconda-navigator.exe. It is not the python.org installer.

What you need to know

Anaconda is a huge distribution. python.org is the lean CPython.

Anaconda Navigator is anaconda-navigator.exe. It ships conda and a full scientific Python. The python.org installer is a smaller CPython. PyCharm is an IDE that can attach to either interpreter.

What is it?: Large Python distribution plus Navigator
Same as python.org?: No. Different installer and size
Huge install?: Yes. That is expected

Feex says

If Anaconda ate 10 GB, that is the distribution, not a virus named python.exe. I would not uninstall python.org to shrink Navigator. Those are different installs.

What is Anaconda?

Anaconda is a Python distribution with conda and Navigator. It is not the python.org installer and not PyCharm.

If you have never used it

If a data class said install Anaconda, this is the large distribution from anaconda.com/download. Navigator is anaconda-navigator.exe. conda manages packages. python.org is a smaller official CPython. Miniconda is the slimmer sibling. Expect a multi-gigabyte install.

What is it used for?

Navigator to launch Jupyter and IDEs

anaconda-navigator.exe is the GUI. python.org has no Navigator.

conda environments

conda create and conda install. venv on python.org is a different tool.

Scientific package sets

NumPy and friends pre-bundled. That is why the installer is huge.

Who is it for?

Students whose syllabus says Anaconda, not python.org
Data people who want conda
Anyone shocked by disk usage after a "Python" install

Current status

Anaconda (2012) is a current python distribution from Anaconda, Inc.. The vendor still points Windows users at https://www.anaconda.com/download.

How old is it?

Continuum / Anaconda Inc. shipped this distribution in 2012 for scientific Python. It is younger than python.org (1991) and older than most AI desktop apps. Current Anaconda Distribution builds still update. A 2.7 Anaconda is history.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Anaconda Distribution

Miniconda

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per Anaconda
RAM	Navigator is modest. Notebooks and dataframes decide memory

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
anaconda-navigator.exe	Anaconda Navigator GUI
python.exe	The Anaconda interpreter inside the distro

Startup components

Navigator does not need to start with Windows. A conda env is not a Windows service.

File locations

Common Anaconda locations
Typical install	C:\Users\<you>\anaconda3\

File formats

PYIPYNBconda YAML

Common problems

PATH fights with python.org

where.exe python can point at Anaconda or at python.org. That mix breaks classes. Pick one default.

License terms for orgs

Anaconda documents commercial terms. python.org PSF builds have a different license story.

Getting unstuck

Install from anaconda.com/download

Anaconda hosts the real installer. A random Anaconda ISO is junk.

conda info and where.exe python

See whether Navigator's interpreter is the one on PATH. py -0p lists python.org/Store installs too.

Use Miniconda if you only wanted conda

Full Anaconda is the large bundle. python.org is still the other official CPython.

Alternatives

python.org plus pip if you want a small runtime. Miniconda if you want conda without Navigator's full bundle. PyCharm if you wanted an IDE.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	www.anaconda.com/download Official installer or vendor page
Help	docs.anaconda.com/ Vendor support
Official site	www.anaconda.com/ Start here, not a random exe host
Anaconda docs	docs.anaconda.com/ Navigator, conda, and install size notes

Related hardware

Plan for several GB of disk. RAM follows notebooks and data, not the Navigator tile.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Anaconda official site · Vendor product page
Anaconda help · Vendor support
Anaconda documentation · Official distribution docs
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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