PyCharm 2023.3 Help

Create a Python project

Pure Python projects are intended for Python programming. A project helps you organize your source code, tests, libraries that you use, and your personal settings in a single unit.

In case you don't need a project, you can edit your file in LightEdit mode.

  1. To create a project, do one of the following:

  2. In the New Project dialog, specify the project name and its location. The dialog may differ depending on the PyCharm edition.

    Creating a new project
    Creating a Python project
  3. Select Create Git repository to put the project under Git version control.

    Select Create a main.py welcome script if you want PyCharm to add the main.py file to your project. This file contains a very simple Python code sample and can be a starting point of your project.

    Welcome script in the Python project
  4. If you want to proceed with the Project venv or Base conda interpreter, select the corresponding option and click Create.

    Project venv

    PyCharm creates a virtualenv environment based on the system Python in the project folder.

    Base conda

    PyCharm configures conda base environment as the project interpreter.

    To configure an interpreter of other type or to use an existing environment, select Custom environment.

    The following steps depend on your choice:

    Create a project with a conda environment
    • Select the Python version from the list.

    • Normally, PyCharm will detect conda installation.

      Otherwise, specify the location of the conda executable, or click Conda executable location to browse for it.

    • Specify the environment name.

    Create a project with virtualenv
    • Specify the location of the new virtual environment in the Location field, or click Virtual environment location and browse for the desired location in your file system. The directory for the new virtual environment should be empty.

    • Choose the base interpreter from the list, or click Choose the base interpreter and find the desired Python executable in your file system.

    • Select the Inherit global site-packages checkbox if you want all packages installed in the global Python on your machine to be added to the virtual environment you're going to create. This checkbox corresponds to the --system-site-packages option of the virtualenv tool.

    • Select the Make available to all projects checkbox if you want to reuse this environment when creating Python interpreters in PyCharm.

    Create a project with Pipenv

    Choose the base interpreter from the list, or click Choose the base interpreter and find the desired Python executable in your file system.

    If you have added the base binary directory to your PATH environmental variable, you don't need to set any additional options: the path to the pipenv executable will be autodetected.

    If the pipenv executable is not found, follow the pipenv installation procedure to discover the executable path, and then specify it in the dialog.

    Create a project with Poetry

    Choose the base interpreter from the list, or click Choose the base interpreter and find the desired Python executable in your file system.

    If PyCharm doesn't detect the poetry executable, specify the following path in the dialog, replacing jetbrains with your username:

    /Users/jetbrains/Library/Application Support/pypoetry/venv/bin/poetry
    C:\Users\jetbrains\AppData\Roaming\pypoetry\venv\Scripts\poetry.exe
    /home/jetbrains/.local/bin/poetry
    Selecting existing conda interpreter for a new project

    To reuse an existing conda environment:

    • Switch Type to Conda.

    • Normally, PyCharm will detect conda installation.

      Otherwise, specify the location of the conda executable, or click Conda executable location to browse for it.

    • Select the environment from the list. If you specified the path to conda manually, you may need to reload environments.

    Selecting existing interpreter for a new project

    To reuse a Virtualenv, Pipenv, or Poetry environment:

    • Switch Type to Python.

    • Select the Python executable from the list or click to browse for it.

Once you created a project, you can proceed with configuring the project structure.

Last modified: 07 March 2024