How to use different Python version with virtualenv?

Better Stack Team
Updated on February 17, 2023

You can create a virtual environment with a specific python version using the command below.

Python 3 or newer

For python 3, it is important to note that venv does not permit creating virtual environments with other versions of Python. For that, install and use the virtualenv package.

Using virtualenv package

Install virtualenv package by running the following commands:

 
python -m pip install --user virtualenv
python -m virtualenv --help

Then run the following command where you specify the path to the selected python executable:

 
virtualenv venv -p "/path/to/python/executable"

Python 2

For python 2, run the following command to activate the environment with a specific python version:

 
virtualenv --python="/usr/bin/python2.6" "/path/to/new/virtualenv/"
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