Upgrade python in a virtualenv

python version virtualenv pip
Simon Walker picture Simon Walker · Apr 19, 2012 · Viewed 207.1k times · Source

Is there a way to upgrade the version of python used in a virtualenv (e.g. if a bugfix release comes out)?

I could pip freeze --local > requirements.txt, then remove the directory and pip install -r requirements.txt, but this requires a lot of reinstallation of large libraries, for instance, numpy, which I use a lot.

I can see this is an advantage when upgrading from, e.g., 2.6 -> 2.7, but what about 2.7.x -> 2.7.y?

Answer

CoupleWavyLines picture CoupleWavyLines · Feb 23, 2017

If you happen to be using the venv module that comes with Python 3.3+, it supports an --upgrade option. Per the docs:

Upgrade the environment directory to use this version of Python, assuming Python has been upgraded in-place

python3 -m venv --upgrade ENV_DIR

Related questions

How do I tell a Python script to use a particular version

How do I, in the main.py module (presumably), tell Python which interpreter to use? What I mean is: if I want a particular script to use version 3 of Python to interpret the entire program, how do I do that? …

Read More
How do I check what version of Python is running my script?

How can I check what version of the Python Interpreter is interpreting my script?

Read More
Which version of Python do I have installed?

I have to run a Python script on a Windows server. How can I know which version of Python I have, and does it even really matter? I was thinking of updating to the latest version of Python.

Read More