Conda maintains a package cache, a local directory where downloaded packages are stored before being installed into environments. By default, each conda installation uses its own isolated package cache, meaning the same package versions are downloaded and stored separately for each user or installation. Configuring multiple conda installations to share a common package cache can significantly reduce download times and conserve disk space, as packages only need to be downloaded once and can then be reused across all installations that reference the shared cache.

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Package cache locations

Normal installation sets a package cache relative to the install directory, which can be found (under package cache) with the following command: 
conda info
The typical path to the package cache is:
  • Windows: C:\Users\username\Anaconda3\pkgs
  • macOS: ~/anaconda3
  • Linux: /home/username/anaconda3/pkgs

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Shared package cache setup

Create a directory on your system where the shared users have read and write access.
If you are using the Free tier, take caution when sharing your directory. If you have paid for access to the premium repository, you can enable signature verification to include an additional layer of security to your packages. For more information on conda signature verification, see our blog Anaconda Content Trust: Conda Signature Verification.
Then, for each user who will have access, edit the .condarc file found in their home directory.
  • Windows: C:\Users\username\.condarc
  • macOS and Linux: /home/username/.condarc
Edit the .condarc with the following entry, specifying the full path to the shared directory: 
pkgs_dirs:
    - /path/to/shared_directory
Verify the package cache by running conda info again.