We have already learned how to create a virtual environment using the Terminal. Let's now consider popular IDEs that offer a convenient interface for creating a project and how to connect an already-created virtual environment to it.

Note

Integrated Development Environment, or IDE, is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities for software development.

Let's start with PyCharm. PyCharm is one of the best IDEs for Python development, which has all the necessary interfaces for high-quality and convenient development. Let's see what opportunities this IDE provides us with for creating and connecting a virtual environment.

Step 1. Open the PyCharm

Step 2. Open/Create project.
First, let's take a look at our project created via the Terminal.

Step 3. Look at the Interpreter Settings.
You can find the Interpreter Settings in the bottom right corner.

You can see that the activated Python Interpreter is Python 3.10 (Project). This is the interpreter we created via the Terminal.

Step 4. Create a new interpreter. If you click on the Add New Interpreter button (as shown in the previous picture), a menu for creating a new interpreter will appear.

Existing: Locate the interpreter (venv) that is located in the project folder.
New: Create a new interpreter based on your system's interpreter.

This window is also displayed when you create a new project in PyCharm.