How to freeze packages installed only in the virtual environment?

Question

How to freeze packages installed only in the virtual environment, that is, without the global ones?

score 114 · Accepted Answer · edited Dec 02 '19 at 04:08

114

You need to use the -l or --local option to freeze only the local packages (and not the global ones)

pip freeze -l > requirements.txt

Make sure you are working in the virtualenv before doing pip freeze -l.

edited Dec 02 '19 at 04:08

NoName

9,824
5
32
52

answered Jul 02 '13 at 04:41

Muneeb Ali

2,056
1
16
8

1

For me this worked (or use `python` for older versions): `python3 -m pip freeze -l > requirements.txt` – user2340939 May 19 '19 at 22:43

score 11 · Answer 2 · edited Jan 22 '18 at 20:01

11

Only local packages on virtual environment

pip freeze -l > requirements.txt # or --local instead of -l

Only local packages installed by the user on virtual environment

pip freeze --user > requirements.txt

See the documentation for further details: https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/reference/pip_freeze/.

edited Jan 22 '18 at 20:01

nbro

15,395
32
113
196

answered Mar 04 '17 at 18:56

Bitcoin Mexico

119
1
4

score 7 · Answer 3 · answered May 23 '20 at 18:16

7

For me (macOS) the following worked

path/to/venv/bin/pip3 freeze -l

answered May 23 '20 at 18:16

Codey

1,131
2
15
34

score 2 · Answer 4 · answered Apr 07 '20 at 17:37

I'm on Windows 10, python 3.6, with my virtual environment called env activated using command prompt I found that pip freeze -l does not work (error), python -m pip freeze -l does not work (gets global packages) but changing into my virtual environment Scripts directory and running pip freeze or pip freeze -l works. Here is an example of this solution/work-around with my virtual environment, env:

cd \env\Scripts
pip freeze > ..\..\requirements.txt

score 1 · Answer 5 · edited Mar 14 '20 at 22:28

1

python venv/Path_to/bin/pip freeze -l

edited Mar 14 '20 at 22:28

Dharman

30,962
25
85
135

answered Mar 14 '20 at 22:22

Agustin Maria Pardo

11
1

score 0 · Answer 6 · answered Jan 20 '23 at 19:33

0

I did try everything, even i inside venv it not worked. This code worked for me. It shows only pip packages in venv.

venv\Scripts\python.exe venv\Scripts\pip.exe freeze > requirements.txt

answered Jan 20 '23 at 19:33

Furkan Köksaldı

29
4

score -1 · Answer 7 · edited Jan 22 '18 at 20:04

-1

Install whatever you need to freeze in your virtual environment, and then

pip freeze > requirements.txt

After that install the packages in the virtual environment that you do not want to freeze.

edited Jan 22 '18 at 20:04

nbro

15,395
32
113
196

answered Nov 10 '11 at 02:54

César

9,939
6
53
74

score -1 · Answer 8 · edited Jan 22 '18 at 20:04

-1

Try the following command:

pip -E /path/to/env/ freeze

edited Jan 22 '18 at 20:04

nbro

15,395
32
113
196

answered Nov 10 '11 at 08:08

Dima Bildin

1,533
10
14

I think the `-E` parameter is use _inside_ the requirements.txt file to show a version control project address – saul.shanabrook Nov 10 '11 at 13:13
They are different "-E" params: this one is command line params that says pip to do inside the given virtualenv – Dima Bildin Nov 10 '11 at 16:16
Could you possible point me to documentation for this? Does it only freeze the specified virtuelenv even with global site packages enabled? – saul.shanabrook Nov 10 '11 at 21:30
Run "pip help" and see "Options" section. – Dima Bildin Nov 11 '11 at 08:50
1

`$ pip -E venv/ freeze Usage: pip COMMAND [OPTIONS] pip: error: no such option: -E` – Mittenchops Apr 27 '13 at 23:09

How to freeze packages installed only in the virtual environment?

8 Answers8

Linked