SoFunction
Updated on 2025-03-01

Vscode Detailed steps to remotely switch Python virtual environment

Remotely switching a Python virtual environment in VSCode is a process involving multiple steps, including installing the necessary extensions, connecting to a remote server, creating or activate the virtual environment, and selecting the corresponding Python interpreter in VSCode. Here is a detailed step guide, including code examples, designed to help us through this process.

Steps to remotely switch Python virtual environment

1.1 Step 1: Install VSCode and necessary extensions

First, make sure that VSCode is installed on our computer. Then, install the following extension in VSCode:

  • Python: Official Python extension provided by Microsoft.
  • Remote - SSH: Used to connect to a remote server via SSH.

We can search and install these extensions through VSCode's extension market.

1.2 Step 2: Connect to the remote server

Connect to our remote server using Remote - SSH extension. In VSCode, click the "+" icon in the lower left corner and select "Remote-SSH: Connect to Host". In the pop-up window, enter the remote server's address and credentials (such as username and password or SSH key).

ssh username@server_address

Note: Hereusernameandserver_addressNeed to be replaced with our actual username and server address.

1.3 Step 3: Create or activate a virtual environment on a remote server

1.3.1 Create a virtual environment

If we don't have a virtual environment, we can create one on the remote server using the following command:

python3 -m venv myenv

heremyenvis the name of the virtual environment we created and we can change it as needed.

1.3.2 Activate the virtual environment

In Linux or macOS systems, use the following command to activate the virtual environment:

source myenv/bin/activate

In Windows systems, activation commands may be slightly different, but are usually done by running a batch file, where we focus mainly on Linux and macOS.

1.4 Step 4: Select the Python interpreter in the virtual environment in VSCode

In VSCode, open the command panel (pressCtrl + Shift + P), then enter and select "Python: Select Interpreter". In the list that pops up, find and select the Python interpreter in the virtual environment we just activated. This is usually locatedmyenv/bin/python。

1.5 Step 5: Verify whether the virtual environment is activated

To confirm that the virtual environment has been successfully activated, we can run the following command in VSCode's terminal to view the path of the Python interpreter currently in use:

which python

or

python --version

If the returned path or version information points to our virtual environment, it means that the virtual environment has been successfully activated.

1.6 Complete Code Example

Since the entire process involves multiple steps and commands, and most of the steps are done in VSCode's graphical interface or terminal, there is no single "full code example" that can be run directly. However, here is a summary of the key commands involved in the above steps:

# Connect to the remote serverssh username@server_address  
# Create a virtual environment on a remote serverpython3 -m venv myenv  
# Activate the virtual environment (Linux/macOS)source myenv/bin/activate  
# Select Python interpreter in VSCode (via the command panel)# Note: There is no direct command line command in this step, and it needs to be performed in the graphical interface of VSCode.# Verify that the virtual environment is activated (in VSCode's terminal)which python  
# orpython --version

1.7 Things to note

  • Make sure our remote server has Python installed.
  • If we work on a Windows system and need to connect to a remote Linux server through VSCode, the command to activate the virtual environment will be executed only on the remote server.
  • If you encounter any problems in VSCode, please check the official documentation of VSCode or the documentation of related extensions for help.

2. How to create a virtual environment in VSCode

Creating a virtual environment in VSCode is a relatively straightforward process. Here are the steps to guide:

2.1 Prerequisites

（1）Install Python: Make sure that Python is already installed on our computer. We canPython official websiteDownload and install the latest version of Python.

（2）Install VSCode: If we have not installed VSCode yet, we canVSCode official websiteDownload and install.

（3）Install Python plugin: In VSCode, open the extended market, search for and install the Python plugin (provided by Microsoft). This plug-in will provide functions such as code completion, syntax highlighting, debugging, etc., and support the management of virtual environments.

2.2 Steps to create a virtual environment

(1) Open VSCode and open the project folder:

  • Start VSCode.
  • Use File > Open Folder or use shortcut keysCtrl+K Ctrl+OLet's open our Python project folder.

(2) Open the terminal:

  • In VSCode, we can open a new terminal window by clicking "Terminal" > "New Terminal" in the top menu, or using the shortcut key `Ctrl+` (note that the backticks are usually located in the upper left corner of the keyboard, below the Esc key).

(3) Create a virtual environment:

  • In the terminal window, usecdCommands navigate to our project directory (you can skip this step if we are already in the project directory).

Enter the following command to create a virtual environment (here the creation name is

venv

As an example, we can also name it as other names as needed):

python3 -m venv venv

Note: Make sure to use

python3

Instead

python

, unless in our system

python

By default, point to Python 3.

(4) Activate the virtual environment:

  • After creating a virtual environment, we need to activate it in order to install and use Python packages in it.

On Mac and Linux, use the following command to activate the virtual environment:

source venv/bin/activate

On Windows, use the following command to activate the virtual environment:

venv\Scripts\activate

  • After activation, the name of the virtual environment will be displayed before our terminal prompt (e.g.(venv)), means we are now in this virtual environment.

(5) Configure VSCode to use virtual environment

(Optional but recommended):

  • In VSCode, click the Python version button in the lower left corner (if displayed) to select the Python interpreter to use. Select the interpreter in the virtual environment we just created (the path is usually./venv/bin/pythonor.\venv\Scripts\）。
  • Alternatively, we can use the command panel (Ctrl+Shift+P) Enter and select "Python: Select Interpreter" and select our virtual environment from the list.

(6) Installation dependencies:

In the activated virtual environment, we can use

pip

Commands to install the dependencies required for the project. For example:

pip install numpy  
pip install matplotlib

If our project has a



The file lists all dependencies, we can install all dependencies at once using the following command:


pip install -r 


Through the above steps, we can successfully create and activate a Python virtual environment in VSCode.  Installing and using Python packages in a virtual environment ensures that our project dependencies are isolated and avoids dependency conflicts between different projects.


This is the article about the detailed steps of Vscode remotely switching Python virtual environment. For more related content on Vscode remotely switching Python virtual environment, please search for my previous articles or continue browsing the related articles below. I hope everyone will support me in the future!