ImportError: No module named matplotlib.pyplot

Question

I am currently practicing matplotlib. This is the first example I practice.

#!/usr/bin/python

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

radius = [1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0]
area = [3.14159, 12.56636, 28.27431, 50.26544]

plt.plot(radius, area)
plt.show()

When I run this script with python ./plot_test.py, it shows plot correctly. However, I run it by itself, ./plot_test.py, it throws the followings:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "./plot_test.py", line 3, in <module>
    import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
ImportError: No module named matplotlib.pyplot

Does python look for matplotlib in different locations?

The environment is:

Mac OS X 10.8.4 64bit
built-in python 2.7

numpy, scipy, matplotlib is installed with:

sudo port install py27-numpy py27-scipy py27-matplotlib \
py27-ipython +notebook py27-pandas py27-sympy py27-nose

did you install python using pyenv?if so you have to specify which python you are using in .python-version and use pip3 — Eliethesaiyan, Mar 09 '18 at 05:22

score 238 · Answer 1 · edited Sep 20 '15 at 18:04

238

pip will make your life easy!

Step 1: Install pip - Check if you have pip already simply by writing pip in the python console. If you don't have pip, get a python script called get-pip.py , via here: https://pip.pypa.io/en/latest/installing.html or directly here: https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py (You may have to use Save As ..)

Step 2: Take note of where the file got saved and cd the directory from command prompt. Run the get-pip.py script to install pip. You can write in cmd this line within quotes: "python .\get-pip.py"

Step 3: Now in cmd type: pip install matplotlib

And you should be through.

edited Sep 20 '15 at 18:04

the

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answered Mar 29 '15 at 21:40

Sheetal Kaul

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In the question, it is specified that the library is already installed – tashuhka Jul 16 '15 at 13:24
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There are too many upvotes for this answer as currently written. Instead of downloading pip, since they (being on macosx) already have macports, the OP should run `sudo port install pip`. Second, for `pip` to be useful beyond their existing setup, they should also do `sudo port install virtualenv`, for local python "virtual environments" (maybe called `python3-virtualenv`). Then, after setting up and entering (activating) a new virtualenv, run `pip install ...` inside the virtualenv. Lastly, the python script still needs to be invoked using `#!/usr/bin/env python` for any of this to work. – michael Jul 08 '16 at 04:01
on ubuntu I used *python ./get-pip.py --user* and that worked for me. thx – LeleMarieC Feb 10 '19 at 02:39
How do I tell pip to install the library for python3? I have py2 and py3 installed and by default pip chooses py2. – Ε Г И І И О Sep 14 '20 at 12:56
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Thanks for the 'pip install matplotlib' command! really helpful!! Saved my time!!! – Dev Oct 11 '20 at 21:03
@LeleMarieC Have you tried `pip3`? – AnonymousUser Jan 08 '22 at 04:33
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I had to run `python3 -m pip install matplotlib` for step 3. – Austin Jenkins Jul 12 '23 at 14:57

score 64 · Accepted Answer · edited Aug 29 '16 at 23:09

64

You have two pythons installed on your machine, one is the standard python that comes with Mac OSX and the second is the one you installed with ports (this is the one that has matplotlib installed in its library, the one that comes with macosx does not).

/usr/bin/python

Is the standard mac python and since it doesn't have matplotlib you should always start your script with the one installed with ports.

If python your_script.py works then change the #! to:

#!/usr/bin/env python

Or put the full path to the python interpreter that has the matplotlib installed in its library.

edited Aug 29 '16 at 23:09

fpt

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answered Aug 11 '13 at 21:13

Viktor Kerkez

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can you elaborate a bit more. I am facing the same issues . – Akash Kandpal Jan 24 '18 at 09:11
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Can you please provide with the steps. I am also not getting what you are trying to explain as I am facing the same problem in my mac – bhaskar May 14 '18 at 12:01
It may happen when you have file name matplotlib.py in your working directory – Abhishek Parikh Aug 09 '18 at 06:13
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In python3, a separate installation of *matplotlib* using `python3 -m pip install matplotlib` solved the error. Tested on Ubuntu 16.04. – vineeshvs Jun 05 '19 at 06:22

k.biao · Answer 3 · 2017-08-23T10:03:09.143

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If you are using Python 2, just run

sudo apt-get install python-matplotlib

The best way to get matplotlib is :

pip install matplotlib

cause the previous way may give you a old version of matplotlib

edited Aug 23 '17 at 10:03

answered Aug 11 '17 at 07:19

k.biao

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sorry, i did not specify the system, i am using Debian,similary systems will work. – k.biao Aug 11 '17 at 08:10
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np, but the question states: `The environment is: Mac OS X 10.8.4 64bit built-in python 2.7` – Lanting Aug 11 '17 at 08:14
you can search the command similary to 'apt-get' for your OS X – k.biao Aug 11 '17 at 08:20
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On Ubuntu you can use `sudo apt-get install python-matplotlib` for python3. – user2023370 Jun 29 '20 at 17:04

Punnerud · Answer 4 · 2019-03-07T14:18:37.097

42

This worked for me, inspired by Sheetal Kaul

pip uninstall matplotlib
python3 -m pip install matplotlib

I knew it installed in the wrong place when this worked:

python2.7
import matplotlib

edited Mar 07 '19 at 14:18

answered Jun 17 '18 at 19:12

Punnerud

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score 30 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 09 '18 at 05:23

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use pip3 install matplotlib to install matlplot lib. By default, pip will install those package for 2.7 as it the native one. using pip3 makes it specific for python 3, and make sure you have only one version of python 3

answered Mar 09 '18 at 05:23

Eliethesaiyan

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score 19 · Answer 6 · edited Oct 17 '20 at 19:17

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First check the version of Python

For python2:

sudo apt-get install python-matplotlib

For python3:

sudo apt-get install python3-matplotlib

If you mismatch the Matplotlib installation and the Python version you will get the no-module-error because no module for that version exits.

edited Oct 17 '20 at 19:17

XavierStuvw

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answered Aug 12 '19 at 07:19

negi

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score 12 · Answer 7 · edited Nov 10 '22 at 20:02

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So I used python3 -m pip install matplotlib then import matplotlib.pyplot as plt and it worked.

edited Nov 10 '22 at 20:02

wjandrea

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answered May 16 '20 at 10:57

Arif

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I'm able to run just without `3` such as `python -m pip install matplotlib`, thank you so much. – Barbaros Özhan Jun 06 '21 at 22:19
I think this worked for me. Thanks. – Sridhar Sarnobat Jul 13 '23 at 06:30

score 10 · Answer 8 · answered Apr 03 '20 at 02:57

10

If you using Anaconda3

Just put

conda install -c conda-forge matplotlib

answered Apr 03 '20 at 02:57

Ashiq Imran

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score 9 · Answer 9 · answered May 06 '21 at 16:52

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If you have pip installed and Python configured to the path variables, Just run this command in the terminal.

pip install matplotlib

answered May 06 '21 at 16:52

Kimanthi K.

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score 7 · Answer 10 · answered Dec 01 '20 at 17:10

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You can install the matplotlib package in python 3 by doing this

python3 -m pip install matplotlib --user

It's working for me.

answered Dec 01 '20 at 17:10

Ashadi Sedana Pratama

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score 5 · Answer 11 · answered Aug 24 '20 at 17:44

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I had a similar problem, using pip3 and all these things worked for installing matplotlib but not pyplot. This solved it for me:

import matplotlib as plt
from matplotlib import pyplot as pllt

answered Aug 24 '20 at 17:44

dumbchild

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score 2 · Answer 12 · answered Aug 30 '18 at 16:35

I had a similar issue that I resolved and here is my issue:

I set everything up on python3 but I was using python to call my file for example: I was typing "python mnist.py" ...since I have everything on python3 it was thinking I was trying to use python 2.7

The correction: "python3 mnist.py" - the 3 made all the difference

I'm by no means an expert in python or pip, but there is definitely a difference between pip and pip3 (pip is tied to python 2.7) (pip3 is tied to python 3.6)

so when installing for 2.7 do: pip install when installing for 3.6 do: pip3 install

and when running your code for 2.7 do: python when running your code for 3.6 do: python3

I hope this helps someone!

Colonna Maurizio · Answer 13 · 2022-01-09T14:51:13.160

For me, with PyCharm and Python 3.8 on WIN10 environment, the solution was inside the IDE of PyCharm itself.

From the IDE and Project Setting (the gear on the top right corner), I've chosen Settings -->Project:Python-->Python Interpreter and you can see all the packages installed (and matplotlib wasn't present in the Package list).

Click on the + icon in the upper left corner for Package installation, and next will be opening a new window with the available packages for PyCharm. In the find box was sufficient to type matplotlib, select it and click on Install Package.

Here a screen-shot of PyCharm environment (as requested on 21/08/2021) :

score 2 · Answer 14 · answered Jul 14 '22 at 09:47

2

I solved by conda. Once installed miniconda or anaconda, type

conda install matplotlib

then, when prompted, type

answered Jul 14 '22 at 09:47

Lucas

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score 1 · Answer 15 · edited Aug 16 '17 at 13:19

I bashed my head on this for hours until I thought about checking my .bash_profile. I didn't have a path listed for python3 so I added the following code:

# Setting PATH for Python 3.6
# The original version is saved in .bash_profile.pysave
PATH="/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.6/bin:${PATH}"
export PATH

And then re-installed matplotlib with sudo pip3 install matplotlib. All is working beautifully now.

score 1 · Answer 16 · answered Nov 18 '20 at 18:12

The file permissions on my virtual environment directory and my project directory were not correct and, thus, would not allow me to install the proper packages. I upadated them by running:

sudo chown user:user -R [project folder]
sudo chown user:user -R [environment folder]

In the above your should use your own usernames in place of "user". The -R recurses through all subfolders and files.

score 1 · Answer 17 · edited Mar 26 '21 at 08:16

Working on the django project and faced same problem, This is what I did. Check if you have matplotlib already simply by writing pip show matplotlib in the python terminal.

If dont, run the command pip install matplotlib.(make sure you have pip downloaded)
Run the command pip show matplotlib again.
If the library is successfully downloaded, you can run your project (py manage.py runserver)

score 1 · Answer 18 · answered Jul 21 '21 at 06:30

1

If you are in a venv, don't install these libs within the venv. Installing them from outside helped me.

answered Jul 21 '21 at 06:30

ADJ

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score 0 · Answer 19 · answered Sep 28 '21 at 04:25

If you experienced this error ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'matplotlib' while using venv and running pytest like me, you can check by comparing the path type pytest shows and the path type python shows. In my case pytest wasn't under venv/bin directory like python, I installed pytest by pip and reactivated venv. See https://stackoverflow.com/a/54597424/3622415

score 0 · Answer 20 · answered May 24 '22 at 09:44

I have installed matplotlib using both pip and conda but experienced this error ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'matplotlib' .

I fix by following.

Because It might have an old version of Jupyter notebook, so i try this command to install it in the current kernel.

import sys
!{sys.executable} -m pip install seaborn

In the New Jupyter version (2019) can be installed simply as:

%pip install matplotlib

score 0 · Answer 21 · answered Nov 09 '22 at 06:39

0

in sublime text you can set

"cmd": ["python3", "-u", "$file"]

in tools > buildsystem > new build system

it worked for me

answered Nov 09 '22 at 06:39

morteza mortezaie

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ImportError: No module named matplotlib.pyplot

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