How to install wget in Python

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Borislav Hadzhiev

Last updated: Apr 10, 2024
10 min

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# Table of Contents

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

# Install wget on Windows

To install the wget module on Windows:

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install wget

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
python3 -m pip install wget

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install wget

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

# 👇️ For Anaconda
conda install -c anaconda wget

pip install wget windows

After you install wget, try importing it as follows.

main.py
import wget

url = 'http://www.futurecrew.com/skaven/song_files/mp3/razorback.mp3'

filename = wget.download(url)
print(filename)

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 'pip' is not recognized as an internal or external command, use the python -m command when installing wget.

shell
python -m pip install wget

python3 -m pip install wget

py -m pip install wget

Alternatively, you can install the wget 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 wget in your virtual environment
pip install wget

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 wget module is installed by using the pip show wget command.
PowerShell
pip show wget
pip3 show wget

python -m pip show wget
python3 -m pip show wget

The pip show wget 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 wget on macOS or Linux

To install wget on macOS or Linux:

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

search for terminal

terminal
pip install wget

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install wget

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

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

# 👇️ For python 3
python3 -m pip install wget

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

# 👇️ For Anaconda
conda install -c anaconda wget

macos linux install wget

After you install wget, try importing it as follows.

main.py
import wget

url = 'http://www.futurecrew.com/skaven/song_files/mp3/razorback.mp3'

filename = wget.download(url)
print(filename)

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

terminal
python -m pip install wget

python3 -m pip install wget

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

terminal
sudo pip install wget

sudo pip3 install wget

Alternatively, you can install the wget 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 wget in your virtual environment
pip install wget

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.

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

shell
pip show wget
pip3 show wget

python -m pip show wget
python3 -m pip show wget

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

# Install wget in Visual Studio Code

To install wget in Visual Studio Code:

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install wget

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

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

# 👇️ For python 3
python3 -m pip install wget

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install wget

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

vscode pip install wget

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

After you install wget, try importing it as follows.

main.py
import wget

url = 'http://www.futurecrew.com/skaven/song_files/mp3/razorback.mp3'

filename = wget.download(url)
print(filename)

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 wget in your virtual environment
pip install wget

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

# Install wget in PyCharm

To install wget in PyCharm:

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install wget

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

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

# 👇️ For python 3
python3 -m pip install wget

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install wget

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

pycharm pip install wget

After you install wget, try importing it as follows.

main.py
import wget

url = 'http://www.futurecrew.com/skaven/song_files/mp3/razorback.mp3'

filename = wget.download(url)
print(filename)

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 wget.
  3. Click on "Install Package".

pycharm interpreter install wget

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 wget in Anaconda

To install wget in Anaconda:

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

anaconda navigator install package

After you install wget, try importing it as follows.

main.py
import wget

url = 'http://www.futurecrew.com/skaven/song_files/mp3/razorback.mp3'

filename = wget.download(url)
print(filename)

Alternatively, you can install the wget 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 wget package.

shell
# 👇️ Using conda
conda install -c anaconda wget

# 👇️ Alternatively use `pip`
pip install wget

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install wget

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

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

# 👇️ For python 3
python3 -m pip install wget

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install wget

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

# Install wget in Jupyter Notebook

To install wget 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 wget and press Enter.
shell
# 👇️ Using pip
pip install wget

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install wget

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

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

# 👇️ For python 3
python3 -m pip install wget

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install wget

# 👇️ Using conda
conda install -c anaconda wget

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

After you install wget, try importing it as follows.

main.py
import wget

url = 'http://www.futurecrew.com/skaven/song_files/mp3/razorback.mp3'

filename = wget.download(url)
print(filename)

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 wget 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 wget

Once you type the command, click "Run" to install the wget 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 wget --user

jupyter notebook install with user option

# ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'wget' in Python

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

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

modulenotfounderror no module named wget

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

# 👇️ For Anaconda
conda install -c anaconda wget

# 👇️ For Jupyter Notebook
!pip install wget

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

main.py
import wget

url = 'http://www.futurecrew.com/skaven/song_files/mp3/razorback.mp3'

filename = wget.download(url)

print(filename)

The error occurs for multiple reasons:

  1. Not having the wget package installed by running pip install wget.
  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 wget.py which would shadow the official module.
  6. Declaring a variable named wget 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 wget package with pip3.10 install wget.

shell
pip3.10 install wget

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

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 wget

If the "No module named 'wget'" error persists, try restarting your IDE and development server/script.

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

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

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

The pip show wget 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.

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 wget 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.

If you are using a virtual environment, make sure you are installing wget 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 wget in your virtual environment
pip install wget

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 wget.py because that would shadow the original wget module.

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

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

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

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

# 👇️ Uninstall wget
pip uninstall wget

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

# 👇️ install wget
pip install wget

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

Try restarting your IDE and development server/script.

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

shell
pip install wget --upgrade

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