To create a Python virtual environment, you can use the `venv` module that comes built-in with Python 3.3 and later versions. This allows for the installation of Python packages in an isolated location specific to an application, rather than globally[^2]. Here's how you can create a new virtual environment along with its directory: For Unix or MacOS users, open your terminal and run the following command: ```bash python3 -m venv env_name ``` Replace `env_name` with the desired name for your virtual environment directory. For Windows users, the command is slightly different: ```cmd python -m venv env_name ``` After running one of the above commands, a new directory named `env_name` will be created, containing the virtual environment files. To start using this virtual environment, you need to activate it. Activation commands differ between operating systems: - On Unix or MacOS: ```bash source env_name/bin/activate ``` - On Windows: ```cmd env_name\Scripts\activate ``` Once activated, any Python or pip commands you run will apply only to this virtual environment, isolating changes from the global Python environment[^3]. If you're working with multiple Python versions and want to switch between them, such as using Python 3.5 and Python 3.6 for `python3`, you can configure alternatives using the following command: ```bash sudo update-alternatives --config python3 ``` This approach enables you to select the default version of Python for the `python3` command interactively[^5].