bashANYwhichpythonpath
bash
which pythonA quick first check after activating a venv.
Python venv Troubleshooting Cheat Sheet
Diagnose activation problems, broken pip, wrong interpreter selection, PATH confusion, and environment drift in Python virtual environments.
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Wrong interpreter or pip
Find out why the shell is resolving the wrong Python or pip.
bashANYwhichpippath
bash
which pipUseful when `pip` appears to install into the wrong location.
bashANYcommand-vpythonpath
bash
command -v pythonAnother common way to inspect command resolution in POSIX shells.
bashANYsys.executablepythoninspect
bash
python -c "import sys; print(sys.executable)"This is often more trustworthy than assumptions based on PATH alone.
bashANYpython-m-pipbest-practicepip
bash
python -m pip install -r requirements.txtThis is a best practice when multiple Python installations are present.
Activation issues
Handle shell and Windows policy issues.
bashANYactivatebashzsh
bash
source .venv/bin/activateThe most common activation command on POSIX systems.
bashANYactivatefish
bash
source .venv/bin/activate.fishUse the shell-specific script when you are not using bash/zsh.
powershellWINDOWSactivatepowershellwindows
powershell
.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1Standard PowerShell activation command for a venv.
powershellWINDOWSexecution-policypowershellwindows
powershell
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser RemoteSignedA common resolution when PowerShell blocks `Activate.ps1`.
bashANYzshrehashpath
bash
rehashUseful when a shell keeps remembering an old command location after activation.
Repair pip and packaging state
Recover from missing pip or broken packaging tools.
bashANYensurepippiprepair
bash
python -m ensurepip --default-pipUse this when pip is missing after environment creation or corruption.
bashANYensurepipupgraderepair
bash
python -m ensurepip --upgradeUseful after partial uninstall or a broken pip state.
bashANYpipsetuptoolswheel
bash
python -m pip install --upgrade --force-reinstall pip setuptools wheelA common recovery step when package operations start behaving strangely.
bashANYcachepurgepip
bash
python -m pip cache purgeUseful when stale caches appear to contribute to install failures.
Full environment reset
Delete and recreate when the environment is no longer trustworthy.
bashANYresetrecreaterequirements
bash
rm -rf .venv && python -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate && python -m pip install -U pip setuptools wheel && python -m pip install -r requirements.txtOften the fastest and cleanest fix when a venv becomes inconsistent.
powershellWINDOWSresetrecreatewindows
powershell
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force .venv; py -m venv .venv; .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1; python -m pip install -U pip setuptools wheel; python -m pip install -r requirements.txtPowerShell equivalent of a full environment rebuild.
bashANYsmoke-testimportsrebuild
bash
python -c "import pkgutil; print('requests' in [m.name for m in pkgutil.iter_modules()])"A quick example of checking whether an expected package is visible after reinstall.
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