pip: command not found — how to fix

bash: pip: command not found

Quick fix: Use python3 -m pip install <package>. If that says No module named pip, install it: sudo apt install python3-pip (Debian/Ubuntu) or python3 -m ensurepip --upgrade.

What it means

Your shell can't find a program called pip. Many systems only ship pip3, or pip is installed but its folder isn't on your PATH.

Fix 1: use python -m pip

This always works when pip is installed for that Python, and it's the officially recommended way:

python3 -m pip --version
python3 -m pip install requests

On Windows: py -m pip install requests.

Fix 2: try pip3

pip3 install requests

Fix 3: install pip

# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt install python3-pip

# Fedora
sudo dnf install python3-pip

# any OS, from Python itself
python3 -m ensurepip --upgrade

On Debian/Ubuntu 23.04+, installing packages with pip outside a virtual environment then gives externally-managed-environment. Use a venv (python3 -m venv .venv), which always includes pip.

Windows: 'pip' is not recognized as an internal or external command

Python's Scripts folder isn't on PATH. Re-run the Python installer, choose Modify, and tick Add Python to environment variables, or use py -m pip which doesn't need PATH.

macOS

The system Python doesn't include pip on recent macOS. Install Python from python.org or Homebrew (brew install python), then use python3 -m pip, ideally inside a virtual environment.

Last updated 2026-10-27.