Скачать или смотреть How to Clone a Python Virtual Environment to Another PC: Step-by-Step Guide

Struggling to clone your Python virtual environment to another PC without an internet connection? This detailed guide walks you through the process step-by-step to ensure your packages are seamlessly transferred.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/63932002/ asked by the user 'DevLoverUmar' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/7344164/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/63932038/ provided by the user 'AKX' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/51685/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Unable to clone Python venv to another PC

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Understanding the Problem: Cloning a Python Virtual Environment

Using Python virtual environments (venv) is a great way to create isolated spaces to manage dependencies for different projects. However, when you want to clone your environment to another PC—especially one that lacks internet access—things can get tricky.

If you've tried copying your venv directly and faced issues like only seeing pip and setuptools listed in your new environment, you're not alone. Many developers run into similar problems. Let's break this down, step by step.

Why Simple Copy-Paste Doesn't Work

The main reason simply copying a venv from one machine to another fails is due to references in the scripts that often point to specific paths and executables on the original machine. This makes the environment unusable on a different system without additional steps.

A Step-by-Step Solution

Step 1: Create a Package List

First, on the original machine, you need to generate a list of the installed packages in your virtual environment.

Activate your virtual environment:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Run the following command:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This command creates a file named packages.txt containing all the packages and their versions installed in your virtual environment.

Step 2: Transfer the Package List

Next, you need to move the packages.txt file over to your second machine. You can do this via USB drive or any file-sharing method that adheres to your security protocols.

Step 3: Create a New Virtual Environment

Once the packages.txt file is on the new machine:

Create a new virtual environment:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Activate the new virtual environment:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 4: Install Packages

Now, you can install the packages listed in packages.txt through the following command:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Handling Offline Machines

If your second machine does not have internet access (as in your case):

Step 5: Create Wheel Files

On the original machine, while still in the active virtual environment, you need to create wheel files for the packages:

Run this command:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This command will create .whl files for all the packages listed in packages.txt and store them in a directory named wheels.

Step 6: Transfer Wheel Files

Copy this wheels folder over to the second machine using your preferred method.

Step 7: Install Wheel Packages

Now that you have the wheel files on your second machine, navigate to your new virtual environment and install the wheel packages:

Ensure you're in the activated virtual environment.

Run the following command:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Troubleshooting Common Errors

If you encounter issues such as:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This is due to the dependencies not being correctly linked to the new environment. By following the steps outlined above and ensuring all packages are installed via wheels, this issue should be resolved.

Conclusion

Cloning a Python venv to another PC without an internet connection can be a challenge, but by following this structured approach, you can successfully migrate your packages with ease. Adopting proper practices for managing dependencies will save you time and effort in the long run.

If you have further questions or need additional assistance, feel free to reach out in the comments below!