How to search for Conda package versions

Package solves fail when the requested release or build is not present in the channels that the environment uses. conda search checks channel metadata before installation, so the package name, version, build string, and channel can be chosen before changing an environment.

Conda search queries use MatchSpec syntax, the same package specification language used by install and update requests. A plain package name lists matching records for the current platform, while version ranges, build wildcards, channel names, and subdir filters narrow the search to package records that can satisfy the project.

The sample commands use the requests package and Anaconda's default channels unless a command names conda-forge directly. Default Anaconda channels can require Terms of Service acceptance in recent Conda installs; use only channels your organization allows, or search with --override-channels and a specific approved channel.

1. Open a terminal where Conda is available.
2. Accept a blocked Anaconda channel Terms of Service only after review.

   $ conda tos accept --override-channels --channel https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/main
   accepted Terms of Service for https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/main

   Run this only for channels your organization allows. If Conda lists more than one blocked channel, repeat the command for each listed URL or remove the channel instead.

3. Search for the package name in the configured channels.

   $ conda search requests
   Loading channels: done
   # Name                       Version           Build  Channel
   requests                      2.24.0            py_0  pkgs/main
   requests                      2.25.0    pyhd3eb1b0_0  pkgs/main
   ##### snipped #####
   requests                      2.32.5 py313hd43f75c_1  pkgs/main
   requests                      2.33.1 py313hd43f75c_0  pkgs/main
   requests                      2.34.2 py313hd43f75c_0  pkgs/main

   The Version, Build, and Channel columns identify the package records available to the current platform and channel configuration.

4. Search the version range needed by the project.

   $ conda search 'requests>=2.32,<2.33'
   Loading channels: done
   # Name                       Version           Build  Channel
   requests                      2.32.2 py310hd43f75c_0  pkgs/main
   requests                      2.32.2 py311hd43f75c_0  pkgs/main
   ##### snipped #####
   requests                      2.32.5 py313hd43f75c_0  pkgs/main
   requests                      2.32.5 py313hd43f75c_1  pkgs/main
   requests                      2.32.5 py314hd43f75c_1  pkgs/main

   Quote version ranges so the shell does not treat characters such as <, >, or * as redirection or filename patterns.

5. Search for a build that matches a Python runtime.

   $ conda search 'requests=2.32.5=py313*'
   Loading channels: done
   # Name                       Version           Build  Channel
   requests                      2.32.5 py313hd43f75c_0  pkgs/main
   requests                      2.32.5 py313hd43f75c_1  pkgs/main

   The build string is meant for human readability and often includes runtime clues, such as py313 for Python 3.13 builds.

6. Search an approved channel without configured channel fallbacks.

   $ conda search --override-channels --channel conda-forge requests
   Loading channels: done
   # Name                       Version           Build  Channel
   requests                      2.21.0       py27_1000  conda-forge
   requests                      2.22.0          py38_1  conda-forge
   ##### snipped #####
   requests                      2.32.5    pyhcf101f3_1  conda-forge
   requests                      2.34.1    pyhcf101f3_0  conda-forge
   requests                      2.34.2    pyhcf101f3_0  conda-forge

   --override-channels searches only the channels passed with --channel instead of falling back to .condarc or Anaconda's default channels.
   Related: How to enable conda-forge in Conda

7. Inspect package metadata for the candidate build.

   $ conda search 'requests=2.32.5=py313hd43f75c_1' --info
   Loading channels: done
   requests 2.32.5 py313hd43f75c_1
   -------------------------------
   file name   : requests-2.32.5-py313hd43f75c_1.conda
   name        : requests
   version     : 2.32.5
   build       : py313hd43f75c_1
   build number: 1
   size        : 167 KB
   license     : Apache-2.0
   subdir      : linux-aarch64
   url         : https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/main/linux-aarch64/requests-2.32.5-py313hd43f75c_1.conda
   ##### snipped #####
   dependencies:
     - certifi >=2017.4.17
     - charset-normalizer >=2,<4
     - idna >=2.5,<4
     - python >=3.13,<3.14.0a0
     - python_abi 3.13.* *_cp313
     - urllib3 >=1.21.1,<3

   Use subdir, dependencies, and the build fields to confirm that the package record matches the target platform, Python runtime, and install plan.
   Related: How to install a specific package version with Conda