243

On Ubuntu 10.04 by default Python 2.6 is installed, then I have installed Python 2.7. How can I use pip install to install packages for Python 2.7.

For example:

pip install beautifulsoup4

by default installs BeautifulSoup for Python 2.6

When I do:

import bs4

in Python 2.6 it works, but in Python 2.7 it says:

No module named bs4
Improve this question
1

17 Answers 17

Reset to default
385

Alternatively, since pip itself is written in python, you can just call it with the python version you want to install the package for:

python2.7 -m pip install foo
Improve this answer
Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

18 Comments

As I am installing with pip in a virtual environment (but need to run it against the system python in some instances, with PYTHONPATH set - e.g. when using anything that depends on wxPython), this is the command that worked for me.
BEST Solution to all Python2 and Python3 problems!
I should note that the right way to call a module in python is with python 2.7 -m pip install foo
I can't upvote this answer enough. Finally solved this painful problem on DietPi (Raspberry distro)
I'm quite surprised this answer gets so many upvotes. I actually don't really understand why it works.
|
76

Use a version of pip installed against the Python instance you want to install new packages to.

In many distributions, there may be separate python2.6-pip and python2.7-pip packages, invoked with binary names such as pip-2.6 and pip-2.7. If pip is not packaged in your distribution for the desired target, you might look for a setuptools or easyinstall package, or use virtualenv (which will always include pip in a generated environment).

pip's website includes installation instructions, if you can't find anything within your distribution.

Update: In the modern (2020s) world, python -m pip is the right way to do this, where python can be replaced with whichever interpreter you choose.

Improve this answer

8 Comments

I do not have neither pip-2.6 nor pip-2.7
@torayeff Did you look for version-specific pip packages? Packaging is distribution-specific, so you're going to need to either do a little legwork yourself (searching through the available package listings) or ask an Ubuntu-specific support channel.
I tried this easy_install -d /usr/local/lib/python2.7/ beautifulsoup4, but it does not work, what do you mean by legwork?
@torayeff the same thing applies to easy_install as to pip -- you should use a version built against the interpreter you're trying to install packages for. "legwork" is a colloquialism referring to effort, typically of a variety that isn't particularly intellectually challenging but may be time consuming (think akin to a job that requires time to be spent walking around)... in this case, reviewing the Ubuntu package listings.
@torayeff ...and again, if you can't find an Ubuntu package of pip or easy-install specific to Python 2.7, you can install pip by hand by the instructions I linked to in my answer; just be sure to use the python2.7 executable when going through those instructions.
|
62

You can execute pip module for a specific python version using the corresponding python:

Python 2.6:

python2.6 -m pip install beautifulsoup4

Python 2.7

python2.7 -m pip install beautifulsoup4
Improve this answer

5 Comments

I scoured the internet many times, searching for this command. I guess most people use a virtual environment to solve this problem, but is a much more viable strategy to me.
What if I am inside my python script that is calling pip install beautifulsoup4. How can I make sure that the script was called with the -m flag?
This was the final piece of my puzzle, thank you! pip and pip3 were both locked to python3.X for me so I had to use this method as a roundabout way of installing pip for python2.7
py -3.8 -m pip install beautifulsoup4 works for me
to install pip in the version you want: python3.VERSIONYOUINSTALLED -m ensurepip and then you can use with python3.VERSIONYOUINSTALLED -m pip install PACKAGEYOUWANT
39

In Windows, you can execute the pip module by mentioning the python version ( You need to ensure that the launcher is on your path )

py -2 -m pip install pyfora
Improve this answer

3 Comments

Thansk. It woked in my case. I have 3.4 and 3.7 version. I had to run py -3.7 -m pip install -r requirements.txt to use the pip associated with python 3.7
This should be the accepted answer. The others above this do not work.
I'm now wondering why this worked and not the others. Was it because it was python3?
36

Have tried this on a Windows machine and it works

If you wanna install opencv for python version 3.7, heres how you do it!

py -3.7 -m pip install opencv-python
Improve this answer

2 Comments

Can i do this without administrator privilege?
@NaveenKumar yes, you can. The packages usually gets installed on C:\Users\{user.account}\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages
30

You can use this syntax

python_version -m pip install your_package

For example. If you're running python3.5, you named it as "python3", and want to install numpy package

python3 -m pip install numpy
Improve this answer

4 Comments

This is like my answer, but better, since it doesn't need to fiddle with system paths.
It seems this would now be the best answer. Worked perfect with me as well.
to install pip in the version you want: python3.VERSIONYOUINSTALLED -m ensurepip and then you can use with python3.VERSIONYOUINSTALLED -m pip install PACKAGEYOUWANT
what if one of the python's version doesn't have pip nor ensurepip? then how to install pip to specific version first?
6

Alternatively, if you want to install specific version of the package with the specific version of python, this is the way 

sudo python2.7 -m pip install pyudev=0.16

if the "=" doesnt work, use ==

x@ubuntuserv:~$ sudo python2.7 -m pip install pyudev=0.16

Invalid requirement: 'pyudev=0.16' = is not a valid operator. Did you mean == ?

x@ubuntuserv:~$ sudo python2.7 -m pip install pyudev==0.16

works fine

Improve this answer

2 Comments

To any future visitors, please see this warning from the makers of pip on why you should never use sudo with pip. If you think you need to use sudo, you're probably about modify system-owned files which are only intended to be modified by your system's package manager. Prefer installing packages to your user directories by passing --user, or even better use a virtual environment.
to install pip in the version you want: python3.VERSIONYOUINSTALLED -m ensurepip and then you can use with python3.VERSIONYOUINSTALLED -m pip install PACKAGEYOUWANT
6

To install the module, first locate the folder in which that version of Python is located (Open a cmd window and type where python to list all paths for python installations), copy the path to the preferred version, then, from a command line interface, navigate to the same folder and run the pip install command. For example:

cd "c:\users\name_of_python_folder\python.exe" -m pip install beautifulsoup

This should work properly.

Improve this answer

Comments

4

If you have both 2.7 and 3.x versions of python installed, then just rename the python exe file of python 3.x version to something like - "python.exe" to "python3.exe". Now you can use pip for both versions individually. If you normally type "pip install " it will consider the 2.7 version by default. If you want to install it on the 3.x version you need to call the command as "python3 -m pip install ".

Improve this answer

Comments

3
  • Folder location: /usr/local/lib/python3.8
  • Package: python3.8 -m pip install <package_name>
Improve this answer

1 Comment

Your answer could be improved by adding more information on what the code does and how it helps the OP.
2

Python 2 

sudo pip2 install johnbonjovi

Python 3 

sudo pip3 install johnbonjovi
Improve this answer

2 Comments

This doesn't work when you have multiple installations of python3. I have 3.4 and 3.5, and I cannot pip install anything for 3.4.
To any future visitors, please see this warning from the makers of pip on why you should never use sudo with pip. If you think you need to use sudo, you're probably about modify system-owned files which are only intended to be modified by your system's package manager. Prefer installing packages to your user directories by passing --user, or even better use a virtual environment.
2

For Python 3

sudo apt-get install python3-pip
sudo pip3 install beautifulsoup4

For Python 2

sudo apt-get install python2-pip
sudo pip2 install beautifulsoup4

On Debian/Ubuntu, pip is the command to use when installing packages for Python 2, while pip3 is the command to use when installing packages for Python 3.

Improve this answer

3 Comments

this answer falls when you both have python3.6 and python3.7 for example. Then pip3 will install packages only for default python3.
@muyustan you can simply do python3.x -m pip install beautifulsoup4 and replace the x to the wanted version example: python3.7 -m pip install beautifulsoup4
To any future visitors, please see this warning from the makers of pip on why you should never use sudo with pip. If you think you need to use sudo, you're probably about modify system-owned files which are only intended to be modified by your system's package manager. Prefer installing packages to your user directories by passing --user, or even better use a virtual environment.
2

for python2 use:

py -2 -m pip install beautifulsoup4
Improve this answer

Comments

2

I'm using Ubuntu 22.04, which comes with python 3.10.4.

Some packages do not have recent pip packages, so I needed install from an older pip. This sequence worked for me.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deadsnakes/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3.9
sudo apt install python3.9-distutils
python3.9 -m pip install onnxruntime-gpu
Improve this answer

2 Comments

for me this dont work - I get Requirement already satisfied in /usr/lib/python3/dist-packages - which is the version from python 3.10 :(
You may have to remove 3.10 first. Those packages may be changing too, given how recent Ubuntu 22 is and how they may adapt.
0

I faced a similar problem with another package called Twisted. I wanted to install it for Python 2.7, but it only got installed for Python 2.6 (system's default version).

Making a simple change worked for me.

When adding Python 2.7's path to your $PATH variable, append it to the front like this: PATH=/usr/local/bin:$PATH, so that the system uses that version.

If you face more problems, you can follow this blog post which helped me - https://github.com/h2oai/h2o-2/wiki/installing-python-2.7-on-centos-6.3.-follow-this-sequence-exactly-for-centos-machine-only

Improve this answer

Comments

0

I think the best practice here is not to use the system python or install any system python package (no apt install). That is just the way to trouble.

Instead, build the required Python version from source, get it installed in /usr/local/... . Then use pip to install packages for that. It is really not that hard to build Python from source on Ubuntu.

  1. sudo apt install build-essential
  2. download the source from https://www.python.org/downloads/source/
  3. unpack the file downloaded: tar xf <filename>
  4. cd <directory> - change into the directory created.
  5. ./configure
  6. make
  7. sudo make install

Then check /usr/local/bin for a pip script tied to that version. Use that to pip install whatever you need. Also find the particular executable for the python version in that directory. You might have to shuffle things a bit if you get lots of versions.

Again, do not mess with system python.

Improve this answer

Comments

-1

I had Python 2.7 installed via chocolatey on Windows and found pip2.7.exe in C:\tools\python2\Scripts.

Using this executable instead of the pip command installed the correct module for me (requests for Python 2.7).

Improve this answer

Comments

Start asking to get answers

Find the answer to your question by asking.

Ask question

Explore related questions

See similar questions with these tags.