# Kernel Installation

IPython can be installed (different python versions, virtualenv or conda environments) as a kernel by following these steps:

- make sure that the desired python installation is active (e.g. activate the environment) and ipython is installed
- run once `ipython kernelspec install-self --user` (or `ipython2 ...` or `ipython3 ...` if you want to install specific python versions)

The last command installs a kernel spec file for the current python installation. Kernel spec files are JSON files, which can be viewed and changed with a normal text editor.