# How to change default save location for downloaded package with "add" command?

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998>\
**Category:** New to Julia\
**Tags:** question\
**Created:** [August 25, 2021, 6:03pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998 "2021-08-25T18:03:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 16\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Cong\_Minh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/cong_minh/32/28558_2.png) [@Cong\_Minh](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Cong_Minh)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2021, 6:03pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/1 "2021-08-25T18:03:38Z")

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hi guys  
i am a newbie Julia  
i have created my own environment and named it “demo”, i want the downloaded packages to be in the demo folder, i have activated the demo environment, why when i use the command “add PyCall” the packages get installed put in folder C? I don’t want to use C folder for installing package.

(before i used node js for package installation when i install package for project, it is installed into the node\_modules directory, which comes with the project)

please help me, i am using julia 1.6

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/8/1/817e8d2556c2f140b5d33d3bdc93d2bc7373f3ad.png)

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**Author:** ![jling](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/jling/32/212909_2.png) [@jling](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jling)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2021, 6:10pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/2 "2021-08-25T18:10:59Z")

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because it’s a waste of time and space to duplicate registry and package source code and cached compiled code for every single environment on your computer. The environment only needs to record (content of Manifest.toml) what packages and what versions you have, not the registry (which has information about every package) or the source code of the packages (they are read-only anyway).

If you want to change where the deposition of registry and package sources happen:

[https://docs.julialang.org/en/v1/manual/environment-variables/#JULIA\_DEPOT\_PATH](https://docs.julialang.org/en/v1/manual/environment-variables/#JULIA_DEPOT_PATH)

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**Author:** ![pdeffebach](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/pdeffebach/32/10320_2.png) [@pdeffebach](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/pdeffebach)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2021, 6:14pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/3 "2021-08-25T18:14:02Z")

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Note that the Manifest.toml will have all the information you need to fully reproduce your code. You don’t need to worry about the pacakges living alongside your code for maximum reproducibility.

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**Author:** ![Cong\_Minh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/cong_minh/32/28558_2.png) [@Cong\_Minh](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Cong_Minh)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2021, 6:15pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/4 "2021-08-25T18:15:20Z")

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my computer don’t have much space on C Drive, I don’t want the downloaded packages to be on C drive, how can I download and save the downloaded package located in the folder that comes with the project?

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**Author:** ![cjdoris](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/cjdoris/32/213133_2.png) [@cjdoris](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/cjdoris)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2021, 6:17pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/5 "2021-08-25T18:17:42Z")

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Read the link in jling’s reply.

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**Author:** ![Cong\_Minh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/cong_minh/32/28558_2.png) [@Cong\_Minh](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Cong_Minh)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2021, 6:34pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/6 "2021-08-25T18:34:09Z")

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i read it but i did’t get it, I can’t do it, it’s too hard to visualize the steps to do. because i don’t understand it technically and i’m not a native english speaker, anyone have a video tutorial on this?  
maybe i have to give up julia, no one helps me.

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**Author:** ![Cong\_Minh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/cong_minh/32/28558_2.png) [@Cong\_Minh](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Cong_Minh)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2021, 11:45pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/7 "2021-08-25T23:45:56Z")

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could you please take a moment to make a demonstration video for me, i have read that article, but i don’t understand how to do it, i don’t know what is environment variable? i don’t know what step to config or setup are

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**Author:** ![pdeffebach](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/pdeffebach/32/10320_2.png) [@pdeffebach](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/pdeffebach)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2021, 11:52pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/8 "2021-08-25T23:52:24Z")

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Perhaps this video will help you: [Add/edit PATH environment variable in Windows 10 - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb9e3m98avk)

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**Author:** ![Cong\_Minh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/cong_minh/32/28558_2.png) [@Cong\_Minh](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Cong_Minh)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 12:24am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/9 "2021-08-26T00:24:42Z")

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i don’t know what variable name and variable value need to fill in are

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**Author:** ![pdeffebach](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/pdeffebach/32/10320_2.png) [@pdeffebach](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/pdeffebach)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 12:28am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/10 "2021-08-26T00:28:02Z")

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name: `JULIA_DEPOT_PATH`

value: `/foo/bar:$JULIA_DEPOT_PATH`

where `/foo/bar` is the folder you would like `.julia` to be instead.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cong\_Minh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/cong_minh/32/28558_2.png) [@Cong\_Minh](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Cong_Minh)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 12:35am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/11 "2021-08-26T00:35:03Z")

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hi  
i did it,is it like this?

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/5/9/5946193752e8f7be9497a2b469088e9342d2b4eb.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cong\_Minh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/cong_minh/32/28558_2.png) [@Cong\_Minh](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Cong_Minh)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 12:40am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/12 "2021-08-26T00:40:19Z")

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> [@pdeffebach](#):
>
> `JULIA_DEPOT_PATH`

after I add environment variable: JULIA\_DEPOT\_PATH, I type Julia in power shell, I get this error.

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/a/7/a7c705d107b785e4cc49805f4531ca09743edcfc.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cong\_Minh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/cong_minh/32/28558_2.png) [@Cong\_Minh](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Cong_Minh)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 12:52am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/13 "2021-08-26T00:52:08Z")

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![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/6/f/6f40cfb924931c7d8507299c3db404bfb1d6d6eb.png)  
i tried creating a new project with pkg command and downloaded the package, but i got this error

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cong\_Minh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/cong_minh/32/28558_2.png) [@Cong\_Minh](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Cong_Minh)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 4:46am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/14 "2021-08-26T04:46:04Z")

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now i understand because ```  
export JULIA\_DEPOT\_PATH=“/foo/bar:$JULIA\_DEPOT\_PATH”

```nohighlight

```

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**Author:** ![bernhard](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/bernhard/32/2619_2.png) [@bernhard](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/bernhard)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 8:01am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/15 "2021-08-26T08:01:29Z")

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Is it working now?  
If not, you could try something like this for the **variable value** in the screenshot  
E:\Softwares\julia\_depot  
you may need to create the folder (although it looks like Julia tries this anyway)  
I don’t think you want the depot to in the install directory of the software itself.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cong\_Minh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/cong_minh/32/28558_2.png) [@Cong\_Minh](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Cong_Minh)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2021, 7:56am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-change-default-save-location-for-downloaded-package-with-add-command/66998/16 "2021-09-09T07:56:08Z")

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thanks i solved by your ways