How to Install Tensorflow

If you’re serious about diving into machine learning, TensorFlow will become your reliable companion. Developed by Google, this library provides everything necessary for training neural networks. However, before you start, you’ll need to install it, and the installation methods for TensorFlow vary significantly depending on your environment.

Installing TensorFlow in Different Environments

As a general guideline, choose a directory path for the library that avoids spaces or special symbols; using only Latin characters and numbers is best, with underscores as a last resort. This helps prevent errors or crashes during loading.

How to Install TensorFlow in Python

Installing TensorFlow in Python can be either straightforward or a bit more involved. The simple approach works well if you’ve installed Python specifically for TensorFlow. In this case, just enter the following command in IDLE (Python’s IDE), using the pip package manager, which is included in Python versions starting from 3.4:

pip install tensorflow

To remove any package, simply replace install with uninstall.

However, this installation method may not be ideal if you’re already using Python for other purposes, as it will install TensorFlow dependencies that might alter the versions of other packages you need. To avoid this, first install the following package:

pip install virtualenv

Now, let’s create a virtual environment (the directory path is an example; replace it with your desired path):

cd ~
mkdir mymlproject
virtualenv ~/mymlproject/tensorflow

Next, activate the virtual environment:

source ~/mymlproject/tensorflow/bin/activate

If activation is successful, you’ll see the name of the virtual environment in the command line prompt in parentheses: (tensorflow).

We’re almost there! Now, install TensorFlow itself with this simple command:

pip install tensorflow

That’s it! You can now start working on optimizing your neural network. When you’re finished, exit the virtual environment by entering:

deactivate

How to Install TensorFlow on Windows

Installing TensorFlow on Windows is also quite straightforward. You can even choose which version to install: CPU or GPU. The CPU version means computations will be processed using the power of the central processor. In contrast, the GPU version allows computations to be offloaded to a graphics processor.

To install the CPU version, use the following command:

pip install tensorflow

For the GPU version, use:

pip install tensorflow-gpu

Keep in mind that for most machine learning tasks, the CPU version is usually sufficient, while the GPU version is mainly beneficial for training deep learning models (multi-layer neural networks with complex structures).

How to Install TensorFlow in Anaconda

Installing TensorFlow in Anaconda is a slightly more complex process. Let’s assume you already have Anaconda installed. First, search for "Anaconda Prompt" in the Start menu and open the application, or go to Anaconda Navigator and select CMD.exe Prompt. In the opened window, enter the following command (the path will, of course, be your own):

(base) C:\conda create -n tensorflow

When prompted by the system to download and install all packages (there may be many, which is normal), respond by pressing Y. Next, activate the virtual environment by entering the following in the console:

conda activate tensorflow

If everything is done correctly, you will see the environment name change from (base) to (tensorflow). Now, proceed to install TensorFlow:

conda install tensorflow

Again, press Y and wait for the library and all its dependencies to download. That’s it; you can now get to work.

How to Install TensorFlow in PyCharm

In PyCharm, this is done without any code through the menu for creating a virtual environment. In the PyCharm menu under "New environment using," select Virtualenv, and below that, specify the path where this environment will be available.

Next, in the left menu, click on "Project Interpreter," find TensorFlow (you can use the built-in search), click on "Install Package" at the bottom, and wait for the installation to finish.

To verify that the installation was successful, return to the previous "Project Interpreter" menu: both TensorFlow and all its dependencies should be listed there.

Conclusion

TensorFlow is a library developed by Google that contains everything necessary for training neural networks. In this guide, we explored various methods for installing TensorFlow in different environments.