How to leave/exit/deactivate a Python virtualenv?

Better Stack Team
Updated on January 26, 2023

To leave a Python virtual environment, you can use the deactivate command. This will return you to the system's default Python environment.

Here's an example of how you would use deactivate:

 
source deactivate

Alternatively, you can simply close the terminal window or tab in which the virtual environment was activated. This will also return you to the system's default Python environment.

If you want to reactivate the virtual environment later, you can use the activate command again. For example:

 
source activate myenv

This will reactivate the virtual environment named myenv.

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