Fixing No Module named ‘django’ when working with Python projects is a straightforward
process that won’t take much of your time.
No module named ‘django” is an exception in Python, specifically a
ModuleNotFoundError, which shows that the Python interpreter in your virtual
or system-wide environment cannot find the installation location of Django.
When Python cannot locate the specified Django module in the module search
path, it will throw ModuleNotFoundError: No module named ‘django’.
The simple message indicates that Django has not been installed or its
path has not been configured properly.
Here are other reasons why you get the exception in Python.
1.
Forgetting to install Django your Python environment.
2.
Installing Django in incorrect environment.
3.
Your IDE does not have an active or virtual environment with Django installed.
4.
When you have both Python 2 and Python 3 interpreters, you may be using pip to
install Django while using Python 3 as the interpreter for your Django project.
Ways to fix No module named django are:.
Approach 1: Install Django.
Approach 2: Make sure Django installed on a global environment.
Approach 3: Use pip3 to install if you are using Python 3.
Approach 4: Activate the correct virtual environment in your
Terminal or IDE and install Django.
Having not installed Django is the main to having the No module named ‘django’.
Because one thing you do is install Django.
Here are the steps you need take to install Django:.
Open a Terminal window and the following command;.
pip install django OR pip3 django If you’re using Python 3.
Most likely, you will be using an isolated virtual environment for your Django project.
If you’re getting No module named ‘django’ error, you should check that
you have an active virtual environment.
You can run the following command to check if you have an active Python
virtual environment: echo $VIRTUAL_ENV.
An active environment will print the to the virtual environment directory.
Otherwise, activate the correct virtual environment you’re using
for your Django project using the source env/bin/activate command.
After activating the correct virtual environment, install
Django in your virtual environment by running the following command:.
pip3 install django.
Once the installation been completed, type.
pip freeze or django-admin --version.
to check if Django has installed successfully.
Another reason as to why you are getting the no module named django error is
that you do not have Django installed in your system-wide environment.
Choosing a system-wide Django installation for your Django project could be the
reason why you’re having No module named django error because the system-level
Python cannot find any Django package.
Installing Django in a global environment makes Django available
to all your Django projects and will fix the ModuleNotFoundError:
No module named ‘django’.
To install Django globally, open the terminal window and run the
following command: pip3 install django.
If you have both Python version 2 and version 3 in your system, you could be
using Python 2 to install Django while in your project, you are using Python 3.
If you use pip and you do not have any alias that points to pip3, you could be installing
Django using the wrong Python interpreter.
For that, you need to install Django using pip3 instead of pip which
points to Python 2 interpreter.
Python 3 uses a different version of pip, called pip3, which is
designated to work with Python 3.
If your Django project is using Python make sure to use pip3 to install Django.
Installing Django using pip3 in an environment using Python 3
as the default interpreter will fix the ModuleNotFoundError:
No module named ‘django’ error.
Here are the steps to Django using pip3:.
Activate the virtual environment using command: source env_folder/bin/activate.
Then install Django using pip3 install django.
Then, run:.
pip freeze.
The pip freeze command should list Django and its version if it is installed in
the current Python virtual environment.
You can also create an alias that points to pip3 so that whenever you
are using the pip command, it uses pip3 to install Python packages.
Here’s how to do that:.
Open the Terminal and type.
alias pip=pip3.
Press Enter and continue Django using the pip command:.
pip install django.
If you have Django installed in a virtual environment, it’s crucial to ensure that
the virtual environment is active in your terminal and the IDE you’re using.
Failing to activate the virtual environment will be another reason you
are getting the ModulenNotFoundError: No module named ‘django’.
If you have a system-wide Django installation, you should not get
No module named ‘django’ error.
Follow these steps to activate Python virtual for your Django project using the Terminal:.
Using the cd command, navigate to the that has your virtual environment files.
This can be inside your project directory or any directory that you have designated
for strong all your virtual environments.
cd path_to_env #.
if the env is inside project directory, use.
cd path_to_project_directory/env_folder.
Once inside the directory with Python virtual environment, run.
source bin/activate.
command to activate the virtual environment.
Once you have successfully activated the virtual environment, check
that Django is installed by running django-admin --version command.
django-admin --version.
Otherwise, install Django using pip install django command.
To activate a virtual environment in Studio Code, you can follow these steps:.
Locate a Terminal window at bottom of your vs code window.
Once you have the terminal window open, use the cd command to navigate to the
location of the Python virtual environment you created for your Django project.
cd path_to_env.
After navigating into the virtual environment directory, use the
source bin/activate command to activate the virtual environment.
source bin/activate.
You should see the name of your virtual environment in the
terminal prompt indicating that the virtual environment is active.
In Pycharm, you can use the GUI method to select the preferred Python
interpreter in a virtual environment.
To do that, follow these steps: Step 1: In Pycharm, go to File Settings Project:
project_name Project Interpreter.
Step 2: Select the virtual environment you’re using for your Django project.
Step 3: Press Apply then to save the changes.
If you run pip freeze command in your Terminal and you see Django and its
version listed, you should be sure that “No module named ‘django” has been fixed.
Another way to confirm the fix to create a new Django project.
If the django-admin startproject project_name command executes successfully, then
the ModuleNotFoundError must be fixed.
Navigate into the directory where you want create the project using the cd command.
Create a new Django project using the django-admin startproject project_name.
Replace project_name with desired name for your project.
Navigate into the project directory the cd project_directory command.
Replace project_directory the name of your project.
Run the development server by python manage.py runserver command.
If the commands above executes successfully, you are assured
that your ModuleNotFoundError: No module named ‘django’ is resolved.
Checklist to ensure “ModuleNotFoundError: No module named ‘django” does
not occur again in the future.
Check that you have installed Django in your active virtual environment
or global Python environment.
If you have both Python 2 and Python 3 installed on your system, make sure
you are using pip3 to install Django.
Make sure the IDE you’re using to write code uses the correct Python environment.
Besides, you can restart the IDE fix the ModuleNotFoundError.
Reinstall Django if the error still persists by activating the virtual
environment and running pip3 install django.
Uninstall Django by running the command pip3 uninstall django and then install the
Django by executing: pip3 install django.
Restart the Django development if it is still running.