ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'spacy' in Python

# ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'spacy' in Python

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

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

modulenotfounderror no module named spacy

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

shell

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# 👇️ In a virtual environment or using Python 2
pip install -U spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ For Python 3 (could also be pip3.10 depending on your version)
pip3 install -U spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error
sudo pip3 install -U spacy
pip install --user -U spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ If you don't have pip in your PATH environment variable
python -m pip install -U spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ For Python 3 (could also be pip3.10 depending on your version)
python3 -m pip install -U spacy
python3 -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ Using py alias (Windows)
py -m pip install -U spacy
py -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ For Anaconda
conda install -c conda-forge spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ For Jupyter Notebook
!pip install -U spacy
!python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

main.py

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import spacy

nlp = spacy.load("en_core_web_sm")
doc = nlp("This is a sentence.")

print(doc)

# Common causes of the error

The error occurs for multiple reasons:

Not having the spacy package installed by running pip install -U spacy.
Installing the package in a different Python version than the one you're using.
Installing the package globally and not in your virtual environment.
Your IDE running an incorrect version of Python.
Naming your module spacy.py which would shadow the official module.
Declaring a variable named spacy 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

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python --version

get python version

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

shell

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pip3.10 install -U spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error use pip3 (NOT pip3.X)
sudo pip3 install -U spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

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

python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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 spacy package installed by running the pip show spacy command.

shell

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# 👇️ Check if you have `spacy` installed
pip show spacy

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

The pip show spacy 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 spacy 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 are using a virtual environment, make sure you are installing spacy in your virtual environment and not globally.

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

shell

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# 👇️ 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 spacy in your virtual environment
pip install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

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

# Try reinstalling the package

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

shell

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# 👇️ Check if you have `spacy` installed
pip show spacy

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

# 👇️ Uninstall `spacy`
pip3 uninstall spacy

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

# 👇️ Install spacy
pip3 install -U spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ If you don't have pip set up in PATH
python3 -m pip install -U spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

Try restarting your IDE and development server/script.

If the error persists, follow the operating system-specific instructions on how to install spacy.

# Table of Contents

# Install spaCy on Windows

To install the spaCy module on Windows:

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

cmd

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pip install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
python3 -m pip install spacy
python3 -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install spacy
py -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error
pip install spacy --user
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ For Anaconda
conda install -c conda-forge spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

pip install spacy windows

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

main.py

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import spacy

nlp = spacy.load("en_core_web_sm")
doc = nlp("This is a sentence.")

print(doc)

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 spacy.

shell

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python -m pip install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

python3 -m pip install spacy
python3 -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

py -m pip install spacy
py -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

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

windows open powershell window here

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

PowerShell

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# 👇️ 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 spacy in your virtual environment
pip install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

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Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

You can verify that the spacy module is installed by using the pip show spacy command.

PowerShell

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pip show spacy
pip3 show spacy

python -m pip show spacy
python3 -m pip show spacy

The pip show spacy 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 spaCy on macOS or Linux

To install spacy on macOS or Linux:

Search for "terminal" and start the application.
Type pip install spacy and press Enter.

terminal

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pip install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error
sudo pip3 install spacy
sudo python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
python3 -m pip install spacy
python3 -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ Alternative if you get a permissions error
pip install spacy --user
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm --user

# 👇️ For Anaconda
conda install -c conda-forge spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

macos linux install spacy

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

main.py

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import spacy

nlp = spacy.load("en_core_web_sm")
doc = nlp("This is a sentence.")

print(doc)

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

terminal

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python -m pip install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

python3 -m pip install spacy
python3 -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

terminal

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sudo pip install spacy

sudo pip3 install spacy

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

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

shell

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

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

# 👇️ Install spacy in your virtual environment
pip install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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 spacy has been installed successfully.

shell

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pip show spacy
pip3 show spacy

python -m pip show spacy
python3 -m pip show spacy

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

# Install spaCy in Visual Studio Code

To install spacy in Visual Studio Code:

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

terminal

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pip install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error
sudo pip3 install spacy
sudo python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
python3 -m pip install spacy
python3 -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install spacy
py -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ Alternative if you get a permissions error
pip install spacy --user
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm --user

vscode pip install spacy

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 spacy package, try importing it as follows.

main.py

Copied!
import spacy

nlp = spacy.load("en_core_web_sm")
doc = nlp("This is a sentence.")

print(doc)

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.

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

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python --version
python3 --version

get python version

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

terminal

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# 👇️ 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 spacy in your virtual environment
pip install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

# Install spaCy in PyCharm

To install spaCy in PyCharm:

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

terminal

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pip install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error
sudo pip3 install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
python3 -m pip install spacy
python3 -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install spacy
py -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ Alternative if you get a permissions error
pip install spacy --user
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm --user

pycharm pip install spacy

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

main.py

Copied!
import spacy

nlp = spacy.load("en_core_web_sm")
doc = nlp("This is a sentence.")

print(doc)

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

Click on "File" > "Settings" > "Project" > "Python Interpreter".
Click on the + icon and type spacy.
Click on "Install Package".

pycharm interpreter install spacy

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

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python --version
python3 --version

get python version

# Install spaCy in Anaconda

To install spaCy in Anaconda:

Open your Anaconda Navigator.
Click on "Environments" and select your project.
Type spacy in the search bar to the right.
Tick the spacy package and click on "Apply".

anaconda navigator install package

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

main.py

Copied!
import spacy

nlp = spacy.load("en_core_web_sm")
doc = nlp("This is a sentence.")

print(doc)

Alternatively, you can install the spacy 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 spacy package.

shell

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# 👇️ Using conda
conda install -c conda-forge spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ Alternatively use `pip`
pip install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error
sudo pip3 install spacy
sudo python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
python3 -m pip install spacy
python3 -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ Alternative if you get a permissions error
pip install spacy --user
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

# Install spaCy in Jupyter Notebook

To install spaCy in Jupyter Notebook:

Open your terminal and type "jupyter notebook".

open jupyter notebook

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

jupyter notebook click new terminal

Type pip install spacy and press Enter.

shell

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# 👇️ Using pip
pip install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ For Python 3
pip3 install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error
sudo pip3 install spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

# 👇️ For Python 3
python3 -m pip install spacy
python3 -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ Using py alias
py -m pip install spacy
py -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ Using conda
conda install -c conda-forge spacy
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

# 👇️ Alternative if you get a permissions error
pip install spacy --user
python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm --user

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

main.py

Copied!
import spacy

nlp = spacy.load("en_core_web_sm")
doc = nlp("This is a sentence.")

print(doc)

Alternatively, you can use the Python ipykernel.

Open your terminal and type "jupyter notebook".

open jupyter notebook

Click on "New" and then click on "Python 3 (ipykernel)".
Type !pip install spacy 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

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!pip install spacy
!python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm

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

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

shell

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!pip install spacy --user
!python -m spacy download en_core_web_sm --user

jupyter notebook install with user option

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

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ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'spacy' in Python