Set up the Quantum Development Kit extension
In this article, you learn how to install the Azure Quantum Development Kit (QDK) extension for Visual Studio Code and add support for Python, Jupyter Notebooks, and the Azure CLI.
Prerequisites
- The latest version of Visual Studio Code.
- If you want to submit jobs to Azure Quantum, you also need an Azure account with a quantum workspace. For more information, see Create an Azure Quantum workspace.
Install the QDK extension
To use the QDK in Visual Studio Code, install the QDK extension. You can also use the QDK in VS Code for the Web without installing the extension, but you won't have all the features of VS Code Desktop. For more information, see Different ways to run Q# programs.
Note
If you used previous versions of the QDK, run python -m pip uninstall qsharp qsharp-core qsharp-chemistry azure-quantum
to avoid package version conflicts.
You can now write, debug, and run Q# programs against the built-in quantum simulator or, if you have an Azure account, connect and submit Q# programs to quantum hardware, all from VS Code.
To test your setup, see Submit Q# jobs to Azure Quantum.
Add support for Python and Jupyter Notebooks
With Python support in Visual Studio Code, you can embed or call Q# code from your Python programs or Jupyter Notebooks and run them on the built-in quantum simulator, or connect to your Azure workspace and submit your jobs to quantum hardware.
Prerequisites
- A Python environment (3.9 or greater, 3.11 recommended) with Python and Pip installed.
- VS Code with the QDK extension installed.
Install the required packages
To add Python and Jupyter Notebook support:
Open the command line.
Install the
qsharp
andazure-quantum
packages:python -m pip install qsharp azure-quantum
For Qiskit or Cirq support, install
azure-quantum
using the [qiskit] or [cirq] parameters:Important
If you are updating from a previous Qiskit environment, see Update the azure-quantum package with Qiskit support.
python -m pip install azure-quantum[qiskit] or python -m pip install azure-quantum[cirq] or python -m pip install azure-quantum[qiskit, cirq]
Install optional Python packages you might need to display results and work in Jupyter Notebooks:
python -m pip install ipykernel ipympl jupyterlab
To test your setup, see Submit Q# jobs with Python or Submit Q# jobs with Jupyter Notebooks.
Add support for the Azure CLI
The Azure CLI is an optional method for submitting quantum jobs using a terminal window in Visual Studio Code.
Install the Azure CLI.
Open a Windows command prompt.
In the command prompt, run the following command to update to the latest Azure CLI
quantum
extension:az extension add \ --upgrade \ -n quantum
To test your setup, see Submit Q# jobs to Azure Quantum.