How to Create a Python Virtual Environment with `venv` (Mac, Windows & Ubuntu)

Managing Python dependencies across projects can quickly become a tangled mess. Virtual environments solve this by giving each project its own isolated Python environment with its own packages. The built-in venv module is all you need — no third-party tools required.

What Is a Virtual Environment?

A virtual environment is an isolated directory that contains:

A copy (or symlink) of the Python interpreter
Its own pip for installing packages
A site-packages folder separate from the system Python

This means packages installed in one project won't interfere with another — or with your system Python.

Prerequisites

Python 3.3+ (venv ships with Python 3 by default)
A terminal or command prompt

To check your Python version:

python3 --version   # macOS / Ubuntu
python --version    # Windows

Creating a Virtual Environment

macOS

# Navigate to your project folder
cd ~/projects/my-project

# Create the virtual environment
python3 -m venv .venv

# Activate it
source .venv/bin/activate

# Your prompt will change to show (.venv)
# Install packages as normal
pip install requests

# Deactivate when done
deactivate

Windows (Command Prompt)

:: Navigate to your project folder
cd C:\Users\YourName\projects\my-project

:: Create the virtual environment
python -m venv .venv

:: Activate it
.venv\Scripts\activate.bat

:: Install packages as normal
pip install requests

:: Deactivate when done
deactivate

Windows (PowerShell)

# You may need to allow scripts to run first (one-time setup)
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

# Navigate to your project folder
cd C:\Users\YourName\projects\my-project

# Create the virtual environment
python -m venv .venv

# Activate it
.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

# Deactivate when done
deactivate

Ubuntu / Linux

# Install venv if not already available
sudo apt update && sudo apt install python3-venv -y

# Navigate to your project folder
cd ~/projects/my-project

# Create the virtual environment
python3 -m venv .venv

# Activate it
source .venv/bin/activate

# Install packages as normal
pip install requests

# Deactivate when done
deactivate

Saving and Restoring Dependencies

Always freeze your dependencies so others (or your future self) can reproduce the environment:

# Save current dependencies
pip freeze > requirements.txt

# Recreate the environment from scratch
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate       # or the Windows equivalent
pip install -r requirements.txt

Best Practices for Naming Virtual Environments

The name you give your virtual environment matters more than it seems. Here's what the Python community has converged on:

Use `.venv` (Recommended)

.venv/

Why it's the standard:

Recognised by default in VS Code, PyCharm, and most editors — they auto-detect and activate it
The leading dot marks it as a "hidden" configuration directory, keeping your project root clean
Explicitly listed in the Python Packaging User Guide as the preferred name
Works seamlessly with tools like poetry, hatch, and ruff

Add It to `.gitignore`

Always exclude your virtual environment from version control:

# .gitignore
.venv/
venv/
env/
*.egg-info/
__pycache__/

Naming Conventions to Avoid

Name	Problem
`venv`	Common but not hidden; clutters directory listings
`env`	Too generic; often confused with environment variable files
`myenv`, `project_env`	Descriptive but non-standard; editors won't auto-detect
`virtualenv`	Verbose and tool-specific (not `venv`)
`.env`	Avoid — collides with `.env` files used for secrets (dotenv)

One Environment Per Project

Don't share a single virtual environment across multiple projects. Each project gets its own:

projects/
├── web-api/
│   ├── .venv/          ← isolated to web-api
│   ├── main.py
│   └── requirements.txt
└── data-pipeline/
    ├── .venv/          ← isolated to data-pipeline
    ├── pipeline.py
    └── requirements.txt

Keep Environments Local to the Project

Store .venv inside the project directory rather than in a central location (e.g. ~/.virtualenvs/). This makes projects self-contained and easier to delete or move.

Quick Reference

Task	macOS / Ubuntu	Windows (PowerShell)
Create	`python3 -m venv .venv`	`python -m venv .venv`
Activate	`source .venv/bin/activate`	`.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1`
Deactivate	`deactivate`	`deactivate`
Check active env	`which python`	`where python`
Freeze deps	`pip freeze > requirements.txt`	`pip freeze > requirements.txt`
Install from file	`pip install -r requirements.txt`	`pip install -r requirements.txt`

Summary

Use python3 -m venv .venv to create your environment
Name it .venv — it's the modern standard and plays nicely with editors and tooling
Always add .venv/ to .gitignore
Never commit the environment itself, only requirements.txt
One virtual environment per project, stored inside the project directory

Once this becomes habit, dependency conflicts become a thing of the past.

How to Create a Python Virtual Environment with venv (Mac, Windows & Ubuntu)