How to install sympy in Python

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Borislav Hadzhiev

Last updated: Apr 10, 2024
11 min

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# Table of Contents

  1. Install sympy on Windows
  2. Install sympy on macOS or Linux
  3. Install sympy in Visual Studio Code
  4. Install sympy in PyCharm
  5. Install sympy in Anaconda
  6. Install sympy in Jupyter Notebook
  7. ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'sympy' in Python

# Install sympy on Windows

To install the sympy module on Windows:

  1. Type CMD in the search bar and open the Command Prompt application.
  2. Type pip install sympy and press Enter.
cmd
pip install sympy

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install sympy

# 👇️ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable
python -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ For Python 3
python3 -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error
pip install sympy --user

# 👇️ For Anaconda
conda install -c anaconda sympy

pip install sympy windows

After you install the sympy module, try importing it as follows.

main.py
from sympy import Symbol, cos

x = Symbol('x')
e = 1/cos(x)

print(e.series(x, 0, 10))

If the installation command doesn't succeed, try running CMD as an administrator.

Right-click on the search result, click on "Run as administrator" and run the pip install command.

run cmd as administrator

If you get the error "ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'sympy' in Python", check out my other article:

If you get the error 'pip' is not recognized as an internal or external command, use the python -m command when installing sympy.

shell
python -m pip install sympy

python3 -m pip install sympy

py -m pip install sympy

Alternatively, you can install the sympy module in a virtual environment:

  1. Open the root directory of your project.
  2. Press Shift and right-click in Explorer.

windows open powershell window here

  1. Click on "Open PowerShell window here".
  2. Run the following commands.
PowerShell
# 👇️ Might also be: "python3 -m venv venv"
python -m venv venv

# 👇️ Activate on Windows (PowerShell)
venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

# 👇️ Activate on Windows (cmd.exe)
venv\Scripts\activate.bat

# 👇️ Install `sympy` in your virtual environment
pip install sympy

If the python -m venv venv command doesn't work, try the following 2 commands:

  • python3 -m venv venv
  • py -m venv venv.

If you see an error message that ps1 cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system, run the following command, type "yes" when prompted and rerun the activation command.

PowerShell
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
You can verify that the sympy module is installed by using the pip show sympy command.
PowerShell
pip show sympy
pip3 show sympy

python -m pip show sympy
python3 -m pip show sympy

The pip show sympy command will either state that the package is not installed or show a bunch of information about the package, including the location where the package is installed.

# Install sympy on macOS or Linux

To install sympy on macOS or Linux:

  1. Search for "terminal" and start the application.
  2. Type pip install sympy and press Enter.

search for terminal

terminal
pip install sympy

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install sympy

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error
sudo pip3 install sympy

# 👇️ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable
python -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ For python 3
python3 -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ Alternative if you get a permissions error
pip install sympy --user

# 👇️ For Anaconda
conda install -c anaconda sympy

macos linux install sympy

After you install the sympy module, try importing it as follows.

main.py
from sympy import Symbol, cos

x = Symbol('x')
e = 1/cos(x)

print(e.series(x, 0, 10))

If you get an error that pip isn't found, use the python -m command.

terminal
python -m pip install sympy

python3 -m pip install sympy

If you get a permissions error, prefix the command with sudo.

terminal
sudo pip install sympy

sudo pip3 install sympy

Alternatively, you can install the sympy package in a virtual environment:

  1. Open your terminal in the root directory of your project.
  2. Run the following commands.
shell
# 👇️ could also be "python -m venv venv"
python3 -m venv venv

# 👇️ activate virtual env on macOS or Linux
source venv/bin/activate

# 👇️ Install sympy in your virtual environment
pip install sympy

Your virtual environment will use the version of Python that was used to create it.

If the python3 -m venv venv command doesn't work, use python -m venv venv instead.

If you get the error "ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'sympy' in Python", check out my other article:

You can use the pip show command to verify sympy has been installed successfully.

shell
pip show sympy
pip3 show sympy

python -m pip show sympy
python3 -m pip show sympy

The pip show sympy command will either state that the package is not installed or show a bunch of information about the package.

# Install sympy in Visual Studio Code

To install sympy in Visual Studio Code:

  1. Press CTRL + ` (Backtick) on your keyboard to open the terminal.
  2. Run the pip install sympy command to install the sympy module.
terminal
pip install sympy

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install sympy

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error
sudo pip3 install sympy

# 👇️ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable
python -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ For python 3
python3 -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ Alternative if you get a permissions error
pip install sympy --user

vscode pip install sympy

You can also open the terminal in Visual Studio Code by pressing CTRL+Shift+P and then type "View: Toggle Terminal".

After you install the sympy module, try importing it as follows.

main.py
from sympy import Symbol, cos

x = Symbol('x')
e = 1/cos(x)

print(e.series(x, 0, 10))

When installing Python modules in Visual Studio code, make sure that your IDE is configured to use the correct version of Python.

Press CTRL+Shift+P or (⌘ + Shift + P on Mac) to open the command palette.

Then type "Python select interpreter" in the field.

python select interpreter

Then select the correct Python version from the dropdown menu.

select correct python version

Your IDE should be using the same version of Python (including the virtual environment) that you are using to install packages from your terminal.

You can use the python --version command if you need to get your version of Python.

terminal
python --version
python3 --version

get python version

You can also try creating a virtual environment if you don't already have one.

terminal
# 👇️ could also be "python -m venv venv" or "py -m venv venv"
python3 -m venv venv

# 👇️ Activate on Unix or MacOS
source venv/bin/activate

# 👇️ Activate on Windows (cmd.exe)
venv\Scripts\activate.bat

# 👇️ Activate on Windows (PowerShell)
venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

# 👇️ Install sympy in your virtual environment
pip install sympy

Your virtual environment will use the version of Python that was used to create it.

If you get the error "ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'sympy' in Python", check out my other article:

# Install sympy in PyCharm

To install sympy in PyCharm:

  1. Press Alt+F12 on your keyboard to open the terminal.
  2. Run the pip install sympy command to install the sympy module.
terminal
pip install sympy

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install sympy

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error
sudo pip3 install sympy

# 👇️ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable
python -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ For python 3
python3 -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ Alternative if you get a permissions error
pip install sympy --user

pycharm pip install sympy

After you install the sympy module, try importing it as follows.

main.py
from sympy import Symbol, cos

x = Symbol('x')
e = 1/cos(x)

print(e.series(x, 0, 10))

Alternatively, you can use the IDE itself to install the module.

  1. Click on "File" > "Settings" > "Project" > "Python Interpreter".
  2. Click on the + icon and type sympy.
  3. Click on "Install Package".

pycharm interpreter install sympy

When installing Python modules in PyCharm, make sure that your IDE is configured to use the correct version of Python.

Click on "File" > "Settings" > "Project" > "Python Interpreter".

pycharm select correct interpreter

Then select the correct Python version from the dropdown menu.

Your IDE should be using the same version of Python (including the virtual environment) that you are using to install packages from your terminal.

You can use the python --version command if you need to get your version of Python.

terminal
python --version
python3 --version

get python version

# Install sympy in Anaconda

To install sympy in Anaconda:

  1. Open your Anaconda Navigator.
  2. Click on "Environments" and select your project.
  3. Type sympy in the search bar to the right.
  4. Tick the sympy package and click on "Apply".

anaconda navigator install package

After you install the sympy module, try importing it as follows.

main.py
from sympy import Symbol, cos

x = Symbol('x')
e = 1/cos(x)

print(e.series(x, 0, 10))

Alternatively, you can install the sympy package with a command.

If you are on Windows, search for "Anaconda Prompt" and open the application.

If you are on macOS or Linux, open your terminal.

Run the following command to install the sympy package.

shell
# 👇️ Using conda
conda install -c anaconda sympy

# 👇️ Alternatively use `pip`
pip install sympy

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install sympy

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error
sudo pip3 install sympy

# 👇️ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable
python -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ For python 3
python3 -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ Alternative if you get a permissions error
pip install sympy --user

If you get the error "ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'sympy' in Python", check out my other article:

# Install sympy in Jupyter Notebook

To install sympy in Jupyter Notebook:

  1. Open your terminal and type "jupyter notebook".

open jupyter notebook

  1. Click on "New" and then "Terminal" in the browser tab.

jupyter notebook click new terminal

  1. Type pip install sympy and press Enter.
shell
# 👇️ Using pip
pip install sympy

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install sympy

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error
sudo pip3 install sympy

# 👇️ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable
python -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ For python 3
python3 -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ Using conda
conda install -c anaconda sympy

# 👇️ Alternative if you get a permissions error
pip install sympy --user

After you install the sympy module, try importing it as follows.

main.py
from sympy import Symbol, cos

x = Symbol('x')
e = 1/cos(x)

print(e.series(x, 0, 10))

Alternatively, you can use the Python ipykernel.

  1. Open your terminal and type "jupyter notebook".

open jupyter notebook

  1. Click on "New" and then click on "Python 3 (ipykernel)". jupyter notebook click new ipykernel

  2. Type !pip install sympy and click on "Run".

jupyter notebook install module

Note that the pip install command must be prefixed with an exclamation mark if you use this approach.

shell
!pip install sympy

Once you type the command, click "Run" to install the sympy module.

If you get a permissions error, e.g. "[WinError: 5] Access is denied", add the --user option to the installation command.

shell
!pip install sympy --user

jupyter notebook install with user option

# ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'sympy' in Python

The Python "ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'sympy'" occurs when we forget to install the sympy module before importing it or install it in an incorrect environment.

To solve the error, install the module by running the pip install sympy command.

no module named sympy

Open your terminal in your project's root directory and install the sympy module.

shell
# 👇️ In a virtual environment or using Python 2
pip install sympy

# 👇️ For python 3 (could also be pip3.10 depending on your version)
pip3 install sympy

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error
pip install sympy --user
sudo pip3 install sympy

# 👇️ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable
python -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ For python 3 (could also be pip3.10 depending on your version)
python3 -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ Using py alias (Windows)
py -m pip install sympy

# 👇️ For Anaconda
conda install -c anaconda sympy

# 👇️ For Jupyter Notebook
!pip install sympy

After you install the sympy package, try importing it as follows.

main.py
from sympy import Symbol, cos

x = Symbol('x')
e = 1/cos(x)

print(e.series(x, 0, 10))

# Common reasons the error occurs

The error occurs for multiple reasons:

  1. Not having the sympy package installed by running pip install sympy.
  2. Installing the package in a different Python version than the one you're using.
  3. Installing the package globally and not in your virtual environment.
  4. Your IDE running an incorrect version of Python.
  5. Naming your module sympy.py which would shadow the official module.
  6. Declaring a variable named sympy which would shadow the imported variable.

If the error persists, get your Python version and make sure you are installing the package using the correct Python version.

shell
python --version

get python version

For example, my Python version is 3.10.4, so I would install the sympy package with pip3.10 install sympy.

shell
pip3.10 install sympy

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error use pip3 (NOT pip3.X)
sudo pip3 install sympy

Notice that the version number corresponds to the version of pip I'm using.

If the PATH for pip is not set up on your machine, replace pip with python3 -m pip:

shell
# 👇️ Make sure to use your version of Python, e.g. 3.10
python3 -m pip install sympy

If the error persists, try restarting your IDE and development server/script.

# Check if the package is installed

You can check if you have the sympy package installed by running the pip show sympy command.

shell
# 👇️ Check if you have sympy installed
pip show sympy

# 👇️ If you don't have pip set up in PATH
python -m pip show sympy

The pip show sympy command will either state that the package is not installed or show a bunch of information about the package, including the location where the package is installed.

# Make sure your IDE is using the correct Python version

If the package is not installed, make sure your IDE is using the correct version of Python.

If you have multiple Python versions installed on your machine, you might have installed the sympy package using the incorrect version or your IDE might be set up to use a different version.

For example, In VSCode, you can press CTRL + Shift + P or (⌘ + Shift + P on Mac) to open the command palette.

Then type "Python select interpreter" in the field.

python select interpreter

Then select the correct Python version from the dropdown menu.

select correct python version

Your IDE should be using the same version of Python (including the virtual environment) that you are using to install packages from your terminal.

# Install the package in a Virtual Environment

If you use a virtual environment, make sure you are installing sympy in your virtual environment and not globally.

You can try creating a virtual environment if you don't already have one.

shell
# 👇️ Use the correct version of Python when creating VENV
python3 -m venv venv

# 👇️ Activate on Unix or MacOS
source venv/bin/activate

# 👇️ Activate on Windows (cmd.exe)
venv\Scripts\activate.bat

# 👇️ Activate on Windows (PowerShell)
venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

# 👇️ Install `sympy` in your virtual environment
pip install sympy

If the python3 -m venv venv command doesn't work, try the following 2 commands:

  • python -m venv venv
  • py -m venv venv

Your virtual environment will use the version of Python that was used to create it.

If the error persists, make sure you haven't named a module in your project as sympy.py because that would shadow the original sympy module.

You also shouldn't be declaring a variable named sympy as that would also shadow the original module.

# Try reinstalling the package

If the error is not resolved, try to uninstall the sympy package and then reinstall it.

shell
# 👇️ Check if you have `sympy` installed
pip show sympy

# 👇️ If you don't have pip set up in PATH
python -m pip show sympy

# 👇️ Uninstall sympy
pip uninstall sympy

# 👇️ If you don't have pip set up in PATH
python -m pip uninstall sympy

# 👇️ Install sympy
pip install sympy

# 👇️ If you don't have pip set up in PATH
python -m pip install sympy

Try restarting your IDE and development server/script.

You can also try to upgrade the version of the sympy package.

shell
pip install sympy --upgrade

# 👇️ If you don't have pip set up in PATH
python -m pip install sympy --upgrade
If the error persists, I would suggest watching a quick video on how to use Virtual environments in Python.

This one is for using virtual environments (VENV) on Windows:

This one is for using virtual environments (VENV) on MacOS and Linux:

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