.. _kernel_install: Kernel Installation ------------------- IPython can be installed (different python versions, virtualenv or conda environments) as a kernel by following these steps: * make sure that the desired python installation is active (e.g. activate the environment) and ipython is installed * run once ``ipython kernelspec install-self --user`` (or ``ipython2 ...`` or ``ipython3 ...`` if you want to install specific python versions) The last command installs a :ref:`kernel spec ` file for the current python installation. Kernel spec files are JSON files, which can be viewed and changed with a normal text editor.