Saving a Conda environment to a YML file creates a portable, version-controlled specification of your Python environment. The saved file can recreate the identical environment on any machine with Conda installed.
Save the Active Environment to YML
conda env export > environment.ymlSave a Specific Environment Without Activating
conda env export -n environment_name > environment.ymlSave Cross-Platform (No Build Strings)
conda env export --no-builds > environment.ymlSave Only Explicitly Installed Packages
conda env export --from-history > environment.ymlWhat to Do After Saving
Remove the prefix: line from the file — it is machine-specific and unnecessary for recreation. Commit the file to your Git repository. Use conda env create -f environment.yml to recreate. Validate the YAML structure with Format Pilot’s YAML formatter if you edit the file manually.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between .yml and .yaml for Conda?
No difference — Conda accepts both file extensions. The .yml extension is the Conda convention used in official documentation. Either works identically with all conda env commands.