ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'django'

Posted in Python by Dirk - last update: Feb 06, 2024

Python raises the ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'django when it is unable to find the django library. The most likely cause is that you didn’t install django in the environment where you are running your code. Quick fix: install django using: the pip install django command

Possible causes and solutions

Django is a high-level, open-source web framework for Python that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design. It follows the “Don’t Repeat Yourself” (DRY) and “Convention over Configuration” (CoC) principles, aiming to make it easier for developers to build web applications by providing reusable components and enforcing best practices.

Sample code:

# myapp/models.py
from django.db import models

class Task(models.Model):
    title = models.CharField(max_length=200)
    completed = models.BooleanField(default=False)

    def __str__(self):
        return self.title

And when trying to run the code you get the ’no module named error':

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "myfile.py", line 2, in <module>
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'django'

Luckily, it is easy to fix. Below you can find the most common causes and how to fix them:

‘django’ Library is not installed

In your code you are importing the webdriver module from django

import django

which generates the ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'django'. The the most common cause for this error: the environment where you are running your code doesn’t have the django library installed.

You can use the following command in the terminal or command prompt to check if the django library is installed:

pip show django

If django is not installed you will get this result:

WARNING: Package(s) not found: django

Solution:

pip install django

‘django’ Module installed in the Wrong Directory

It is possible that you did install the django module, but that the directory where you installed it is not in the Python path.

You can check the Python path in a few different ways:

1. Using sys module in Python:

Open a Python script or the Python interpreter and run the following code:

import sys
print(sys.path)

This will print a list of directories that make up the Python path.

2. Using Command Line

Open a command prompt or terminal and run:

Windows

echo %PYTHONPATH%

Unix/Linux/macOS

echo $PYTHONPATH

If the PYTHONPATH environment variable is set, it will display the directories in the Python path.

Solution: Move the django module to a directory that is included in the Python path or add the django module’s directory to the sys.path using sys.path.append().

‘django’ not installed in Virtual Environment

Even if you have django installed in on your computer, if you are using a virtual environment you cannot access it from this environment.

If you are using virtual environments, ensure that the virtual environment is activated, and that the django modules is installed within this environment.

Installation is simple:

pip install django

File Naming Conflicts:

It is not really likely - but if you happen to have a django.py file in your environment and you also installed the standard django library it will cause a conflict. Rename your script/module to avoid conflicts with existing module names.