Where Does Conda Store Environments and Packages?
Conda envs and pkgs folders beside the install root, plus .condarc overrides and the clean command.
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Conda keeps environments in envs and downloads in pkgs, both beside the install root (miniconda3 by default). Those two folders explain most conda disk use.
The envs_dirs and pkgs_dirs settings in .condarc relocate them. List the live config first; installs in odd prefixes move everything with them.
Where Conda stores this, by platform
%USERPROFILE%\miniconda3\envs
pkgs sits next to envs at miniconda3\pkgs. Root name follows your installer (Anaconda3, miniforge3). Print the config to confirm custom prefixes.
~/miniconda3/envs
Same root relative layout. Apple Silicon versus Intel installers pick different default roots; check which one owns your shell.
~/miniconda3/envs
Same layout. The clean command with all flags prunes pkgs, tarballs and unused caches safely.
Frequently asked questions
What is eating disk in my conda install?
Usually pkgs tarballs plus old envs. Clean the caches, then remove dead envs by name after listing them.
How do I move conda envs to another drive?
Set envs_dirs and pkgs_dirs in .condarc to the new volume, keeping both on the same filesystem so hard links keep working.
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