conda-forge / conda-forge/conda-forge.github.io

miniforge does not update prompt with active environment when using cmd.exe

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Description

### Conda-forge documentation

- [x] I could not solve my problem using the conda-forge documentation.

### Installed packages

```shell
(base)PS C:\Users\mmichalski> conda list
# packages in environment at C:\Users\mmichalski\AppData\Local\miniforge3:
#
# Name Version Build Channel
archspec 0.2.5 pyhd8ed1ab_0 conda-forge
boltons 24.0.0 pyhd8ed1ab_1 conda-forge
brotli-python 1.1.0 py312h275cf98_2 conda-forge
bzip2 1.0.8 h2466b09_7 conda-forge
ca-certificates 2025.4.26 h4c7d964_0 conda-forge
certifi 2025.4.26 pyhd8ed1ab_0 conda-forge
cffi 1.17.1 py312h4389bb4_0 conda-forge
charset-normalizer 3.4.2 pyhd8ed1ab_0 conda-forge
colorama 0.4.6 pyhd8ed1ab_1 conda-forge
conda 25.3.0 py312h2e8e312_0 conda-forge
conda-libmamba-solver 25.3.0 pyhd8ed1ab_0 conda-forge
conda-package-handling 2.4.0 pyh7900ff3_2 conda-forge
conda-package-streaming 0.11.0 pyhd8ed1ab_1 conda-forge
cpp-expected 1.1.0 hc790b64_1 conda-forge
distro 1.9.0 pyhd8ed1ab_1 conda-forge
fmt 11.1.4 h5f12afc_1 conda-forge
frozendict 2.4.6 py312h4389bb4_0 conda-forge
h2 4.2.0 pyhd8ed1ab_0 conda-forge
hpack 4.1.0 pyhd8ed1ab_0 conda-forge
hyperframe 6.1.0 pyhd8ed1ab_0 conda-forge
idna 3.10 pyhd8ed1ab_1 conda-forge
jsonpatch 1.33 pyhd8ed1ab_1 conda-forge
jsonpointer 3.0.0 py312h2e8e312_1 conda-forge
krb5 1.21.3 hdf4eb48_0 conda-forge
libarchive 3.7.7 h5343c79_4 conda-forge
libcurl 8.13.0 h88aaa65_0 conda-forge
libexpat 2.7.0 he0c23c2_0 conda-forge
libffi 3.4.6 h537db12_1 conda-forge
libiconv 1.18 h135ad9c_1 conda-forge
liblzma 5.8.1 h2466b09_1 conda-forge
libmamba 2.1.1 h00a3e12_0 conda-forge
libmambapy 2.1.1 py312h259b449_0 conda-forge
libsolv 0.7.32 hbb528cf_2 conda-forge
libsqlite 3.49.2 h67fdade_0 conda-forge
libssh2 1.11.1 h9aa295b_0 conda-forge
libxml2 2.13.8 h442d1da_0 conda-forge
libzlib 1.3.1 h2466b09_2 conda-forge
lz4-c 1.10.0 h2466b09_1 conda-forge
lzo 2.10 hcfcfb64_1001 conda-forge
mamba 2.1.1 hbfb34a1_0 conda-forge
menuinst 2.2.0 py312h275cf98_0 conda-forge
miniforge_console_shortcut 1.0 h57928b3_0 conda-forge
nlohmann_json 3.11.3 he0c23c2_1 conda-forge
openssl 3.5.0 ha4e3fda_1 conda-forge
packaging 25.0 pyh29332c3_1 conda-forge
pip 25.1.1 pyh8b19718_0 conda-forge
platformdirs 4.3.8 pyhe01879c_0 conda-forge
pluggy 1.5.0 pyhd8ed1ab_1 conda-forge
pybind11-abi 4 hd8ed1ab_3 conda-forge
pycosat 0.6.6 py312h4389bb4_2 conda-forge
pycparser 2.22 pyh29332c3_1 conda-forge
pysocks 1.7.1 pyh09c184e_7 conda-forge
python 3.12.10 h3f84c4b_0_cpython conda-forge
python_abi 3.12 7_cp312 conda-forge
reproc 14.2.5.post0 h2466b09_0 conda-forge
reproc-cpp 14.2.5.post0 he0c23c2_0 conda-forge
requests 2.32.3 pyhd8ed1ab_1 conda-forge
ruamel.yaml 0.18.10 py312h4389bb4_0 conda-forge
ruamel.yaml.clib 0.2.8 py312h4389bb4_1 conda-forge
setuptools 80.1.0 pyhff2d567_0 conda-forge
simdjson 3.12.3 hc790b64_0 conda-forge
tk 8.6.13 h5226925_1 conda-forge
tqdm 4.67.1 pyhd8ed1ab_1 conda-forge
truststore 0.10.1 pyh29332c3_0 conda-forge
tzdata 2025b h78e105d_0 conda-forge
ucrt 10.0.22621.0 h57928b3_1 conda-forge
urllib3 2.4.0 pyhd8ed1ab_0 conda-forge
vc 14.3 h2b53caa_26 conda-forge
vc14_runtime 14.42.34438 hfd919c2_26 conda-forge
wheel 0.45.1 pyhd8ed1ab_1 conda-forge
win_inet_pton 1.1.0 pyh7428d3b_8 conda-forge
yaml-cpp 0.8.0 he0c23c2_0 conda-forge
zstandard 0.23.0 py312h4389bb4_2 conda-forge
zstd 1.5.7 hbeecb71_2 conda-forge
(base)PS C:\Users\mmichalski>
```

### Environment info

```shell
active environment : base
active env location : C:\Users\mmichalski\AppData\Local\miniforge3
shell level : 1
user config file : C:\Users\mmichalski\.condarc
populated config files : C:\Users\mmichalski\AppData\Local\miniforge3\.condarc
C:\Users\mmichalski\.condarc
conda version : 25.3.0
conda-build version : not installed
python version : 3.12.10.final.0
solver : libmamba (default)
virtual packages : __archspec=1=skylake
__conda=25.3.0=0
__win=10.0.22631=0
base environment : C:\Users\mmichalski\AppData\Local\miniforge3 (writable)
conda av data dir : C:\Users\mmichalski\AppData\Local\miniforge3\etc\conda
conda av metadata url : None
channel URLs : https://conda.anaconda.org/conda-forge/win-64
https://conda.anaconda.org/conda-forge/noarch
package cache : C:\Users\mmichalski\AppData\Local\miniforge3\pkgs
C:\Users\mmichalski\.conda\pkgs
C:\Users\mmichalski\AppData\Local\conda\conda\pkgs
envs directories : C:\Users\mmichalski\AppData\Local\miniforge3\envs
C:\Users\mmichalski\.conda\envs
C:\Users\mmichalski\AppData\Local\conda\conda\envs
platform : win-64
user-agent : conda/25.3.0 requests/2.32.3 CPython/3.12.10 Windows/11 Windows/10.0.22631 solver/libmamba conda-libmamba-solver/25.3.0 libmambapy/2.1.1
administrator : False
netrc file : None
offline mode : False
```

### Issue

I installed miniconda. I then ran:
conda create -c conda-forge -n spyder-env spyder numpy scipy pandas matplotlib sympy cython

the prompt simply read C:\Users\Username\ and did not show the active environment (base)
I then ran:
conda activate spyder-env
conda config --env --add channels conda-forge
conda config --env --set channel_priority strict

The prompt still did not show the active environment.(which should then have been "spyder-env"

I closed and reopened the prompt using the shortcut that was created during the miniforge install with no effect.

I then opened PowerShell. The prompt correctly displayed the active environment (base) and when I ran "conda activate base" and "conda activate spyder-env" it correctly changed.

I then opened cmd.exe from the link that was created during the miniforge install and it still did not show the active environment. I typed powershell. The prompt displayed correctly. I exited powershell and closed the cmd.exe window.

I then launched cmd.exe again. I ran "mamba activate base" and it correctly displayed the active environment in the prompt. I ran "mamba activate spyder-env" and it correctly changed to display active environment. I tried it in powershell and mamba worked correctly.

Still in powershell I then ran "conda activate base". It correctly displayed "base" in the prompt. I then exited powershell to cmd.exe. It incorrectly showed "spyder-env", the last thing mamba changed it to.

I think what is going on here is that mamba appears to set the prompt from "C:\Users\mmichalski\AppData\Local\miniforge3\condabin\_mamba_activate.bat. I cant find an analagous command in any of the conda batch files.

On the other hand, "C:\Users\mmichalski\AppData\Local\miniforge3\shell\condabin" contains powershell scripts (conda.psm1) which contain a command to change the powershell prompt. This apperantly makes it work in powershell.

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