Use the default Python rather than the Anaconda installation when called from the terminal

Question

I recently installed the Anaconda version of Python. Now when I type python into the terminal it opens the Anaconda distribution rather than the default distribution. How do I get it to use the default version for the command python on Linux (Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise Pangolin))?

Answer 1

Anaconda adds the path to your .bashrc, so it is found first. You can add the path to your default Python instance to .bashrc or remove the path to Anaconda if you don't want to use it.

You can also use the full path /usr/bin/python in Bash to use the default Python interpreter.

If you leave your .bashrc file as is, any command you run using python will use the Anaconda interpreter. If you want, you could also use an alias for each interpreter.

You will see something like export PATH=$HOME/anaconda/bin:$PATH in your .bashrc file.

So basically, if you want to use Anaconda as your main everyday interpreter, use the full path to your default Python or create an alias. If you want it the other way around, remove the export PATH=.... from bashrc and use full path to Anaconda Python interpreter.

Answer 2

Having tried all the suggestions so far, I think modifying the export statement in file ~/.bashrc, as Piotr Dobrogost seems to suggest, is the best option considering the following:

• If you remove the whole statement, you have to use full paths for Conda binaries.
• Using Conda 4.4.10 links in the directory anaconda/bin/ point to binaries in the same directory, not the system ones in /usr/bin.
• Using this approach you get the system programs for all that have been previously included in $PATH and also the ones specific to anaconda without using full paths.

So in file ~/.bashrc instead of

# Added by the Anaconda3 4.3.0 installer export PATH="/home/user/anaconda3/bin:$PATH" 

one would use

export PATH="$PATH:/home/user/anaconda3/bin"