Create an empty Python project

To create an empty project:

1. From the main menu, choose File | New | Project or on the Welcome screen, click New Project.

   New Project dialog opens.

2. In the left-hand pane of the New Project dialog, select Python as a project type.

3. In the right-hand pane, specify the project SDK. If the desired SDK is missing in the list, click New and create one of the following Python SDK:

   Virtualenv

   Pipenv

   Conda

   System

   SSH

   Vagrant

   Docker

   Docker Compose

   1. In the left-hand pane of the Add Python Interpreter dialog, select Virtualenv Environment. The following actions depend on whether the virtual environment existed before.

      

      If New environment is selected:

      1. Specify the location of the new virtual environment in the text field, or click and find location in your file system. Note that the directory where the new virtual environment should be located, must be empty!

      2. Choose the base interpreter from the list, or click and find a Python executable in the your file system.

         If IntelliJ IDEA detects no Python on your machine, it provides two options: to download the latest Python versions from python.org or to specify a path to the Python executable (in case of non-standard installation).

         

      3. Select the Inherit global site-packages checkbox if you want that all packages installed in the global Python on your machine to be added to the virtual environment you're going to create. This checkbox corresponds to the --system-site-packages option of the virtualenv tool.

      4. Select the Make available to all projects checkbox, if needed.

      If Existing environment is selected:

      1. Expand the Interpreter list and select any of the existing interpreters. Alternatively, click and specify a path to the Python executable in your file system, for example, C:\Python36\python.exe.

      2. Select the checkbox Make available to all projects, if needed.

   2. Click OK to complete the task.

   To add any of the remote interpreters, ensure that the Vagrant and Docker Integration plugin are installed and enabled. If the plugins are not activated, enable them on the Plugins page of the Settings / Preferences dialog as described in Manage plugins.

4. If needed, select additional libraries and frameworks to enable with the project. When selecting a particular framework, ensure that it is supported by the specified project SDK. Also, provide the required parameters.

5. Click Next.

6. On the next page, select the Create project from template checkbox if you want to use a project or framework template for the new Python project.

7. Specify the project name and location.

8. Click Finish to complete the task.