ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'PIL' in Python [Fixed]

# ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'PIL' in Python

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

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

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

Copied!
# 👇️ Before installing Pillow, uninstall PIL.
pip uninstall PIL

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

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

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

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

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

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

# 👇️ For Anaconda
conda install -c conda-forge pillow

# 👇️ For Jupyter Notebook
!pip install Pillow

Notice that we made sure to uninstall PIL before installing Pillow because Pillow and PIL cannot co-exist in the same environment.

After you install the Pillow package, try importing it like:

Copied!
from PIL import Image

im = Image.open("hopper.ppm")

print(im.format, im.size, im.mode)

# Common causes of the error

The error occurs for multiple reasons:

1. Not having the Pillow package installed by running pip install Pillow.
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 pil.py which would shadow the official module.
6. Declaring a variable named PIL 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.

Copied!
python --version

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

Copied!
pip3.10 install Pillow

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

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:

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

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 Pillow package installed by running the pip show Pillow command.

Copied!
# 👇️ Check if you have Pillow installed
pip show Pillow

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

The pip show Pillow 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.

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.

Then Select the correct Python version from the dropdown menu.

# Install the package in a Virtual Environment

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

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

Copied!
# 👇️ 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 Pillow in your virtual environment
pip install Pillow

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.

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

# Try reinstalling the package

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

Copied!
# 👇️ Check if you have Pillow installed
pip show Pillow

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

# 👇️ Uninstall Pillow
pip3 uninstall PIL
pip3 uninstall Pillow

# 👇️ If you don't have pip set up in PATH
python3 -m pip uninstall Pillow

# 👇️ Install Pillow
pip3 install Pillow

# 👇️ If you don't have pip set up in PATH
python3 -m pip install Pillow

Try restarting your IDE and development server/script.

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

Copied!
pip install Pillow --upgrade

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

# Import "PIL" could not be resolved from source Pylance

The error "Import "PIL" could not be resolved from source Pylance" occurs when the Pillow module is not installed or you have selected the incorrect Python interpreter in your IDE (e.g. Visual Studio Code).

To solve the error, install Pillow and select the correct Python interpreter in your IDE.

Copied!
Import "PIL" could not be resolved from source Pylance(reportMissingModuleSource) [Ln 1, Col 8]
Import "PIL.Image" could not be resolved from source Pylance(reportMissingModuleSource) [Ln 1, Col 8]

# Make sure the correct Python interpreter is selected in your IDE

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

For example, In Visual Studio Code you can:

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

Then type "Python select interpreter" in the search field.

2. Select the correct Python version from the dropdown menu.

If the error persists, try restarting your IDE and development server/script. VSCode often glitches and a reboot resolves the issue.

If the error is not resolved, try to use the Visual Studio Code terminal to install the Pillow module.

You can press CTRL + ` (Backtick) on your keyboard to open the Visual Studio code terminal.

Once you open the terminal, Visual Studio Code will automatically activate your virtual environment (if you have one).

Run the pip install Pillow command.

Copied!
pip install Pillow

If the error persists, try to select the Python interpreter by specifying the path:

1. Press CTRL + Shift + P or (⌘ + Shift + P on Mac) to open the command palette.
2. Type "Python select interpreter" in the field.

3. Select "Enter interpreter path...".

4. Click on "Find".

5. In the window that opens, navigate to your Python executable:

• If you have a virtual environment on Windows, click on your venv folder, then double-click on the Scripts folder, select the python.exe file and then Select interpreter.

• If you have a virtual environment on macOS or Linux, click on your venv folder, then double-click on the bin folder, select the python file and then Select interpreter.

• If you don't have a virtual environment, use one of the following commands to get your path to your python.exe or python executable, specify the path to the file and select the executable.

Copied!
where python

python -c "import sys; print(sys.executable)"

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

# Alternatively, use a comment to disable the warning

If none of the suggestions helped, you can use a comment to disable the Pylance warning in your IDE.

Copied!
from PIL import Image  # type: ignore

print(Image)

You simply have to add the # type: ignore command on the same line as the import statement to disable the check for the specific import.

1. Install Pillow (PIL) on Windows
2. Install Pillow (PIL) on macOS or Linux
3. Install Pillow (PIL) in Visual Studio Code
4. Install Pillow (PIL) in PyCharm
5. Install Pillow (PIL) in Anaconda
6. Install Pillow (PIL) in Jupyter Notebook

# Install Pillow (PIL) on Windows

To install the Pillow module on Windows:

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

Copied!
# 👇️ Before installing Pillow, uninstall PIL.
pip uninstall PIL

pip install Pillow

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install Pillow

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
python3 -m pip install --upgrade Pillow

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install Pillow

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

# 👇️ For Anaconda
conda install -c anaconda pillow

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

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

Copied!
python -m pip install Pillow

python3 -m pip install Pillow

py -m pip install Pillow

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

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

3. Click on "Open PowerShell window here".
4. Run the following commands.

Copied!
# 👇️ 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 Pillow in your virtual environment
pip install Pillow

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.

Copied!
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Copied!
pip show Pillow
pip3 show Pillow

python -m pip show Pillow
python3 -m pip show Pillow

The pip show Pillow 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 Pillow (PIL) on macOS or Linux

To install Pillow on macOS or Linux:

1. Search for "Terminal" and start the application.
2. Type pip install Pillow and press Enter.

Copied!
# 👇️ Before installing Pillow, uninstall PIL.
pip uninstall PIL

pip install Pillow

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install Pillow

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

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
python3 -m pip install Pillow

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

# 👇️ For Anaconda
conda install -c anaconda pillow

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

Copied!
python -m pip install Pillow

python3 -m pip install Pillow

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

Copied!
sudo pip install Pillow

sudo pip3 install Pillow

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

1. Open your terminal in the root directory of your project.
2. Run the following commands.

Copied!
# 👇️ Could also be "python -m venv venv"
python3 -m venv venv

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

# 👇️ Install Pillow in your virtual environment
pip install Pillow

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

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

Copied!
pip show Pillow
pip3 show Pillow

python -m pip show Pillow
python3 -m pip show Pillow

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

# Install Pillow (PIL) in Visual Studio Code

To install Pillow in Visual Studio Code:

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

Copied!
# 👇️ Before installing Pillow, uninstall PIL.
pip uninstall PIL

pip install Pillow

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install Pillow

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

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
python3 -m pip install Pillow

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install Pillow

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

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

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

Then type "Python select interpreter" in the field.

Then Select the correct Python version from the dropdown menu.

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

Copied!
python --version
python3 --version

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

Copied!
# 👇️ 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 Pillow in your virtual environment
pip install Pillow

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

# Install Pillow (PIL) in PyCharm

To install Pillow in PyCharm:

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

Copied!
# 👇️ Before installing Pillow, uninstall PIL.
pip uninstall PIL

pip install Pillow

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install Pillow

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

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
python3 -m pip install Pillow

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install Pillow

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

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 Pillow.
3. Click on "Install Package".

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

Then Select the correct Python version from the dropdown menu.

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

Copied!
python --version
python3 --version

# Install Pillow (PIL) in Anaconda

To install Pillow in Anaconda:

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

Alternatively, you can install the Pillow 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 Pillow package.

Copied!
# 👇️ Using conda
conda install -c anaconda pillow

# 👇️ Alternatively use `pip`
pip install Pillow

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install Pillow

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

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
python3 -m pip install Pillow

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install Pillow

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

Click on the following article if you need to install a specific version of the package using Anaconda.

# Install Pillow (PIL) in Jupyter Notebook

To install Pillow in Jupyter Notebook:

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

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

3. Type pip install Pillow and press Enter.

Copied!
# 👇️ Before installing Pillow, uninstall PIL.
pip uninstall PIL

# 👇️ Using pip
pip install Pillow

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install Pillow

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

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
python3 -m pip install Pillow

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install Pillow

# 👇️ Using conda
conda install -c anaconda Pillow

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

Alternatively, you can use the Python ipykernel.

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

2. Click on "New" and then click on "Python 3 (ipykernel)".

3. Type !pip install Pillow and click on "Run".

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

Copied!
!pip install Pillow

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

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

Copied!
!pip install Pillow --user

If the error persists, try to restart the Jupyter Kernel and rerun the command.