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I'm trying to update Anaconda and its packages using conda update --name root conda , but it fails every time.

Error message : EnvironmentNotWritableError: The current user does not have write permissions to the target environment. environment location: C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3

Environment location: C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3 . I replaced the root with base , still I get the same error.

Any help?

Maybe you could give some more details about your environment and the versions of software that might be pertinent to the question to help anyone who might be able to help you. – Damo Mar 21, 2019 at 22:46 In addition, in more recent versions of conda (for the last 1.5 years or so) the main environment is called base , not root . – darthbith Mar 22, 2019 at 0:42 environment location: C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3. I replaced the root with base. I get the same error – A. E. Fahim Mar 22, 2019 at 20:58 When installing packages, this error can occur if you have forgot to first activate your environment. (Not your issue exactly but it may help other people with who have that issue and find this question.) – HelloGoodbye Jun 7, 2022 at 12:46 This is not correct. At least under Linux/Mac OS conda is not supposed to require super user rights. – lumbric Sep 25, 2019 at 9:24 It worked for me on Windows 10. I haven't tried on Mac, but I would try running the command as sudo conda update --name root conda. – Bremsstrahlung Dec 7, 2019 at 21:47 @hamedbaziyad yes, it might be considered as workaround and might solve your problem, but running conda with super user rights should not be necessary in many cases and is probably not the best thing to do in these cases. Running commands with super user rights can cause more damage than without, so it is always better to avoid super user rights. Also users might not have super user rights but still want to update conda. – lumbric Dec 16, 2019 at 12:28 On Windows, if you're trying to install packages into the base environment (which is installed to C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3 ), you'll need admin access. If you first create an environment (which should install in your user directory under .conda\envs) and activate it, you no longer need admin right for that environment. Don't forget to activate the env after creating it. – C.J. Jackson May 11, 2021 at 19:18

If you face this issue in Linux, one of the common reasons can be that the folder "anaconda3" or "anaconda2" has root ownership. This prevents other users from writing into the folder. This can be resolved by changing the ownership of the folder from root to "USER" by running the command:

sudo chown -R $USER:$USER anaconda3
or sudo chown -R $USER:$USER <path of anaconda 3/2 folder>
Note: How to figure out whether a folder has root ownership?
-- There will be a lock symbol on the top right corner of the respective folder.
Or right-click on the folder->properties and you will be able to see the owner details
The -R argument lets the $USER access all the folders and files within the folder anaconda3 or anaconda2 or any respective folder. It stands for "recursive".
                Worked for me. However, I think you need to change the ownership of ~/.conda as well since it contains, for example, environments.txt which needs to be updated.
– user118967
                Dec 20, 2019 at 1:01
                Where is the anaconda folder typically located? If you are on a computer shared with other people, such as a server, is this solution really recommended?
– HelloGoodbye
                Jun 7, 2022 at 9:22
On Windows, search for Anaconda PowerShell Prompt. Right click the program and select Run as administrator. In the command prompt, execute the following command:
conda update -n base -c defaults conda
Your Anaconda should now update without admin related errors.
                Can you tell me why, when I run  conda update -n base -c defaults conda it says Warning: A newer version of conda exists please run  conda update -n base -c defaults conda?  Keeps me amused for hours....
– Stephen Ellwood
                Mar 16 at 10:56
If you get this error under Linux when running conda using sudo, you might be suffering from bug #7267:
When logging in as non-root user via sudo, e.g. by:
sudo -u myuser -i
conda seems to assume that it is run as root and raises an error.
The only known workaround seems to be: Add the following line to your ~/.bashrc:
unset SUDO_UID SUDO_GID SUDO_USER
...or unset the ENV variables by running the line in a different way before running conda.
If you mistakenly installed anaconda/miniconda as root/via sudo this can also lead to the same error, then you might want to do the following:
sudo chown -R username /path/to/anaconda3
Tested with conda 4.6.14.
I had installed anaconda via the system installer on OS X in the past, which created a ~/.conda/environments.txt owned by root. Conda could not modify this file, hence the error.
To fix this issue, I changed the ownership of that directory and file to my username:
sudo chown -R $USER ~/.conda
On Windows in general, running command prompt with administrator works. But if you don't want to do that every time, specify Full control permissions of your user (or simply all users) on Anaconda3 directory. Be aware that specifying it for all users allows other users to install their own packages and modify the content.
I had the same issue and the base environment was in C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3. This is the case, when Anaconda is installed for all users. 
As a solution, I re-installed Anaconda just for me and now the base environment is in \AppData\Local\Continuum\anaconda3. This now can be updated via conda update without admin privileges. 
                I believe this answer is out of date.  I installed only for local user (myself) not all users and I am still having the same issue.
– brethvoice
                Dec 31, 2021 at 3:34
Reason
Sometimes for creating a virtual env at a specified location other than the pre-defined path at ~/anaconda3/envs we append the conda config file using: conda config --append envs_dirs /path/to/envs where envs_dirs is a specified function in config file for allocating different paths where conda can find your virtual envs. Removing a recently added path in this config file may solve the problem.
Solution
$:> conda config --show envs_dirs
    envs_dirs:
    - /home/some_recent_path    # remove this
    - /home/.../anaconda3/envs
Note the value specifing a different directory other than the predefined location, and remove it using
$:> conda config --remove envs_dirs /home/some_recent_path
Now the config file envs_dirs is set to default location of envs. Try creating a new env now.
WINDOWS:
I also got following error while (base) PS E:\Python> conda install ConfigParser
Verifying transaction: failed
EnvironmentNotWritableError: The current user does not have write permissions to the target environment.
environment location: C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3
My solution: Open Command prompt as administrator, then above command again and it worked.
C:\WINDOWS\system32>conda install ConfigParser
Collecting package metadata (current_repodata.json): done Solving environment: done
Package Plan
environment location: C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3
added / updated specs:
- configparser
The following NEW packages will be INSTALLED:
configparser       pkgs/main/noarch::configparser-5.0.2-pyhd3eb1b0_0
Proceed ([y]/n)? y
Preparing transaction: done Verifying transaction: done Executing
transaction: done
As mentioned in a comment to the accepted answer, the default environment base requires administrative rights on Windows:
On Windows, if you're trying to install packages into the base
environment (which is installed to C:\ProgramData\Anaconda3), you'll
need admin access. If you first create an environment (which should
install in your user directory under .conda\envs) and activate it, you
no longer need admin right for that environment. Don't forget to
activate the env after creating it. –  C.J. Jackson
In my case somehow CONDA_ENVS_PATH was removed, so I was having NotWritableError. So I fixed the error by specifying
CONDA_ENVS_PATH=~/my-envs:/opt/anaconda/envs
in the .bashrc file
Press the Windows+S combination button and type "cmd" into it.
Right click on the Command Prompt App result that shows up and click on "Run as administrator"
Now, in the black window that is open (i.e. your Command prompt), copy and paste the following to check for your version: conda --version
If you want the latest update, then update Conda by running the update command by pasting the following and clicking enter  in the command prompt(black window):
conda update conda
If a newer version is available, it will prompt you for a yes/no to install the update. Type "yes" and then press Enter to update.
                This is a bad idea: won't work for most people most of the time, and could remove some necessary configuration options.
– Denise Draper
                Mar 8, 2021 at 7:30