Last updated: Apr 8, 2024
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The Python "ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'scipy'" occurs when we
forget to install the scipy
module before importing it or install it in an
incorrect environment.
To solve the error, install the module by running the pip install scipy
command.
Open your terminal in your project's root directory and install the scipy
module.
# ๐๏ธ In a virtual environment or using Python 2 pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Python 3 (could also be pip3.10 depending on your version) pip3 install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you get a permissions error sudo pip3 install scipy pip install scipy --user # ๐๏ธ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable python -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Python 3 (could also be pip3.10 depending on your version) python3 -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ Using py alias (Windows) py -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ alternative for Debian (Ubuntu) sudo apt-get install python3-scipy # ๐๏ธ Alternative for Fedora sudo dnf install python3-scipy # ๐๏ธ Alternative for macOS brew install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Anaconda conda install -c anaconda scipy # ๐๏ธ For Jupyter Notebook !pip install scipy
After you install the scipy package, try importing it as follows.
from scipy import stats from scipy.stats import norm print(dir(stats)) print('bounds of distribution lower: %s, upper: %s' % norm.support())
If you forget to import the scipy
module before using it, you'll get the
"NameError: name 'scipy' is not defined" error.
Alternatively, you can import the sub-modules from scipy
to not have to prefix
every interaction with scipy.
.
from scipy import integrate, special, stats result = integrate.quad(lambda x: special.jv(2.5, x), 0, 4.5) print(result) print(stats.norm.cdf(0))
Instead of accessing each sub-module as scipy.sub_module
, we now access the
sub-modules directly.
You can also import only the functions you intend to use from each module.
from scipy.integrate import quad from scipy.special import jv from scipy.stats import norm result = quad(lambda x: jv(2.5, x), 0, 4.5) print(result) print(norm.cdf(0))
Whichever approach you pick make sure you have imported the members you are accessing, otherwise, the "Name 'scipy' is not defined" error occurs.
The error occurs for multiple reasons:
scipy
package installed by running pip install scipy
.scipy.py
which would shadow the official module.scipy
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.
python --version
For example, my Python version is 3.10.4
, so I would install the scipy package
with pip3.10 install scipy
.
pip3.10 install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you get a permissions error use pip3 (NOT pip3.X) sudo pip3 install scipy
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
:
# ๐๏ธ Make sure to use your version of Python, e.g. 3.10 python3 -m pip install scipy
If the error persists, try restarting your IDE and development server/script.
You can
check if you have the scipy
package installed
by running the pip show scipy
command.
# ๐๏ธ Check if you have scipy installed pip show scipy # ๐๏ธ If you don't have pip set up in PATH python -m pip show scipy
The pip show scipy
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.
scipy
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 (โ
+ 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.
If you are using a virtual environment, make sure you are installing scipy
in
your virtual environment and not globally.
You can try creating a virtual environment if you don't already have one.
# ๐๏ธ Use the correct version of Python when creating VENV python3 -m venv venv # ๐๏ธ Activate on Unix or MacOS source venv/bin/activate # ๐๏ธ Activate on Windows (cmd.exe) venv\Scripts\activate.bat # ๐๏ธ Activate on Windows (PowerShell) venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 # ๐๏ธ Install scipy in your virtual environment pip install scipy
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.
scipy.py
because that would shadow the original scipy
module.You also shouldn't be declaring a variable named scipy
as that would also
shadow the original module.
If the error is not resolved, try to uninstall the scipy
package and then
reinstall it.
# ๐๏ธ Check if you have scipy installed pip show scipy # ๐๏ธ If you don't have pip set up in PATH python -m pip show scipy # ๐๏ธ Uninstall scipy pip uninstall scipy # ๐๏ธ If you don't have pip set up in PATH python -m pip uninstall scipy # ๐๏ธ Install scipy pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you don't have pip set up in PATH python -m pip install scipy
Try restarting your IDE and development server/script.
You can also try to upgrade the version of the scipy
package.
pip install scipy --upgrade # ๐๏ธ If you don't have pip set up in PATH python -m pip install scipy --upgrade
scipy
.To install the SciPy
module on Windows:
pip install scipy
and press Enter.pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Python 3 pip3 install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable python -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Python 3 python3 -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ Using py alias py -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you get a permissions error pip install scipy --user # ๐๏ธ For Anaconda conda install -c anaconda scipy
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 SciPy
.
python -m pip install scipy python3 -m pip install scipy py -m pip install scipy
Alternatively, you can install the scipy
module in a virtual environment:
Shift
and right-click in Explorer.# ๐๏ธ Might also be: "python3 -m venv venv" python -m venv venv # ๐๏ธ Activate on Windows (PowerShell) venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 # ๐๏ธ Activate on Windows (cmd.exe) venv\Scripts\activate.bat # ๐๏ธ Install scipy in your virtual environment pip install scipy
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.
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
SciPy
module is installed by using the pip show scipy
command.pip show scipy pip3 show scipy python -m pip show scipy python3 -m pip show scipy
The pip show scipy
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.
To install SciPy on macOS or Linux:
pip install scipy
and press Enter.pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Python 3 pip3 install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you get a permissions error sudo pip3 install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable python -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Python 3 python3 -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ Alternative if you get a permissions error pip install scipy --user # ๐๏ธ alternative for Debian (Ubuntu) sudo apt-get install python3-scipy # ๐๏ธ Alternative for Fedora sudo dnf install python3-scipy # ๐๏ธ Alternative for macOS brew install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Anaconda conda install -c anaconda scipy
If you get an error that pip
isn't found, use the python -m
command.
python -m pip install scipy python3 -m pip install scipy
If you get a permissions error, prefix the command with sudo
.
sudo pip install scipy sudo pip3 install scipy
Alternatively, you can install the scipy
package in a virtual environment:
# ๐๏ธ Could also be "python -m venv venv" python3 -m venv venv # ๐๏ธ Activate virtual env on macOS or Linux source venv/bin/activate # ๐๏ธ Install scipy in your virtual environment pip install scipy
Your virtual environment will use the version of Python that was used to create it.
python3 -m venv venv
command doesn't work, use python -m venv venv
instead.You can use the pip show
command to verify
SciPy
has been installed
successfully.
pip show scipy pip3 show scipy python -m pip show scipy python3 -m pip show scipy
The pip show scipy
command will either state that the package is not installed
or show a bunch of information about the package.
To install SciPy in Visual Studio Code:
pip install scipy
command to install the SciPy
module.pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Python 3 pip3 install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you get a permissions error sudo pip3 install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable python -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Python 3 python3 -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ Using py alias py -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ Alternative if you get a permissions error pip install scipy --user
CTRL+Shift+P
and then type "View: Toggle Terminal".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 (โ
+ 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.
python --version python3 --version
You can also try creating a virtual environment if you don't already have one.
# ๐๏ธ Could also be "python -m venv venv" or "py -m venv venv" python3 -m venv venv # ๐๏ธ Activate on Unix or MacOS source venv/bin/activate # ๐๏ธ Activate on Windows (cmd.exe) venv\Scripts\activate.bat # ๐๏ธ Activate on Windows (PowerShell) venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 # ๐๏ธ Install scipy in your virtual environment pip install scipy
Your virtual environment will use the version of Python that was used to create it.
To install SciPy in PyCharm:
Alt+F12
on your keyboard to open the terminal.pip install scipy
command to install the scipy
module.pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Python 3 pip3 install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you get a permissions error sudo pip3 install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable python -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Python 3 python3 -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ Using py alias py -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ Alternative if you get a permissions error pip install scipy --user
Alternatively, you can use the IDE itself to install the module.
+
icon and type scipy
.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.
python --version python3 --version
To install SciPy in Anaconda:
scipy
in the search bar to the right.scipy
package and click on "Apply".Alternatively, you can install the SciPy
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 SciPy
package.
# ๐๏ธ Using conda conda install -c anaconda scipy # ๐๏ธ Alternatively use `pip` pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Python 3 pip3 install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you get a permissions error sudo pip3 install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable python -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Python 3 python3 -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ Using py alias py -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ Alternative if you get a permissions error pip install scipy --user
Click on the following article if you need to install a specific version of the package using Anaconda.
To install SciPy in Jupyter Notebook:
pip install scipy
and press Enter.# ๐๏ธ Using pip pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Python 3 pip3 install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you get a permissions error sudo pip3 install scipy # ๐๏ธ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable python -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ For Python 3 python3 -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ Using py alias py -m pip install scipy # ๐๏ธ Using conda conda install -c anaconda scipy # ๐๏ธ Alternative if you get a permissions error pip install scipy --user
Alternatively, you can use the Python ipykernel.
Click on "New" and then click on "Python 3 (ipykernel)".
Type !pip install scipy
and click on "Run".
Note that the pip install
command must be prefixed with an exclamation mark if
you use this approach.
!pip install scipy
Once you type the command, click "Run" to install the scipy
module.
If you get a permissions error, e.g. "[WinError: 5] Access is denied", add the
--user
option to the installation command.
!pip install scipy --user
If the error persists, try to restart the Jupyter Kernel and rerun the command.