How to set up a Jupyter Notebook environment on Windows 11

How to Set Up a Jupyter Notebook Environment on Windows 11

Prerequisites

Before diving into the setup, ensure your system meets the following prerequisites:

• Windows 11 Operating System: Ensure you are running a stable version of Windows 11.
• Internet Connection: Required for downloading packages and installation files.

Step 1: Installing Python

1. Download Python:

   • Visit the official Python website at python.org.
   • Navigate to the “Downloads” section and select the latest version of Python for Windows.

2. Run the Installer:

   • Locate the downloaded python-<version>.exe file and double-click to run it.
   • Ensure that you check the box that says Add Python to PATH before you click on “Install Now.” This ensures that Python and pip (Python’s package manager) are accessible from the command line.

3. Verify Python Installation:

   • Open the Command Prompt (search for “cmd” in Windows Search).
   • Type python --version and press Enter. You should see the version of Python that was installed.
   • Type pip --version to confirm that pip is also installed.

Step 2: Create a Virtual Environment

Creating a virtual environment isolates your Jupyter Notebook and its dependencies from other Python projects.

1. Open Command Prompt:

   • Use the Windows Search feature to open Command Prompt.

2. Navigate to Your Project Directory:

   • Use the cd command to change to your desired project directory. For example:

     cd C:UsersYourUsernameDocumentsProjects

3. Create Virtual Environment:

   • Run the following command:

     python -m venv jupyter_env

   • This creates a folder named jupyter_env in your current directory, containing the virtual environment.

4. Activate the Virtual Environment:

   • Use the command below to activate the virtual environment:

     jupyter_envScriptsactivate

   • You should see (jupyter_env) preceding your command prompt, indicating that your virtual environment is active.

Step 3: Install Jupyter Notebook

1. Install Jupyter:

   • With the virtual environment activated, run:

     pip install jupyter

   • This command installs Jupyter Notebook and its necessary dependencies.

2. Verify Jupyter Installation:

   • Once the installation is complete, you can verify it by running:

     jupyter --version

   • This will display the version of Jupyter installed.

Step 4: Launch Jupyter Notebook

1. Start Jupyter Notebook:

   • In the same command prompt window with your virtual environment active, type:

     jupyter notebook

2. Access Jupyter in Browser:

   • This command should open Jupyter Notebook in your default web browser. If it does not, you will see a link in the command prompt that you can click or copy into your browser.

Step 5: Create a New Notebook

1. Create a New Notebook:

   • In Jupyter’s dashboard interface, find and click on the New button located in the upper right corner.
   • Select Python 3 from the dropdown menu to create a new notebook.

2. Write Your First Code:

   • Click on the cell in the notebook and type:

     print("Hello, Jupyter!")

   • Press Shift + Enter to run the cell. You should see the output immediately below.

Step 6: Save and Manage Notebooks

1. Saving Your Notebook:

   • Click on the floppy disk icon in the toolbar or press Ctrl + S to save your notebook. It saves as a .ipynb file in your current directory.

2. Managing Notebooks:

   • You can create multiple notebooks, rename them, or delete them through the Jupyter interface. Right-click on a notebook to bring up the context menu with these options.

Step 7: Installing Additional Packages

To enhance your Jupyter Notebook’s capabilities, you may want to install additional libraries, such as NumPy, Pandas, and Matplotlib.

1. Install Libraries via Pip:

   • Make sure your virtual environment is activated and run:

     pip install numpy pandas matplotlib

   • This command installs the libraries for data manipulation and visualization.

2. Importing Libraries in Jupyter:

   • Open a notebook and type:

     import numpy as np
     import pandas as pd
     import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

   • Run the cell to use these libraries in your notebook.

Tips for Optimizing Jupyter Environment

• Keyboard Shortcuts: Familiarize yourself with keyboard shortcuts to streamline your workflow. For example, B adds a new cell below, and A adds a new cell above.
• Extensions: Consider installing Jupyter Notebook extensions for enhanced functionalities. Extensions can be installed using:

   pip install jupyter_contrib_nbextensions

• Customizing Notebooks: Use Markdown cells to add headings, explanations, or formatted text to your notebooks for better presentation.

Keeping Your Environment Clean

• Deactivate Virtual Environment: When you’re done working, deactivate the virtual environment by running:

  deactivate

• Remove the Directory: If you no longer want the virtual environment, you can manually delete the jupyter_env folder from your projects directory.

By following these detailed steps, you’ll have a fully functional Jupyter Notebook environment set up on your Windows 11 machine, equipped to tackle data analysis, visualization, and interactive coding tasks with ease.