["python","anaconda","conda"]
conda environment has no name visible in conda env list - how do I activate it at the shell?

I have created an environment called B3 inside anaconda-navigator. It works fine if launched from within navigator. However, when I want to activate it at the shell, I get 'could not find environmnet B3.' If I use conda env list, the environment is visible but its name is blank. If I try using the file path instead, I get 'Not a conda environment.' Why is the name missing, and how can I activate it from the shell?
Name-based reference of Conda environments only works for environments located in one of the directories listed in the envs_dirs configuration option (see conda config --describe envs_dirs). By default this corresponds to the envs/ subdirectory in the Conda installation. If you create an env outside of one of these directories, then you cannot use a name to reference it. Instead, one must activate it by its path: Option 0: Activate by Path (Fix OP’s Typo) conda activate /home/julianhatwell/anaconda3/envs/B3 Note that OP originally had a typo (anaconda2 should have been anaconda3). After pointing this out (see comments to question), the questioner instead requested an answer to: “How to convert a nameless environment to named one?” Converting to Named Environment The following are possible ways to enabling name-based activation. Option 1: Clone Into Directory One option to use conda activate B3, is to recreate your B3 env in the default directory. You can use the --clone flag to accomplish this. conda create --clone path/to/the/nameless_env -n named_env Option 2: Add Parent Directory Alternatively, you can add the parent directory of the environment in question to the envs_dirs configuration option. conda config --append envs_dirs /path/to/the/parent_dir Option 3: Symbolic Link Another possibility is to create a symbolic link in one to the envs_dirs folders to the environment folder. It seems to work, but it is not a common practice, so it may have downsides that are unreported.