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Installing via pip fails on Ubuntu 24 #122
Description
According to the installation instructions, one should run pip install virtualenvwrapper to install virtualenvwrapper.
On Ubuntu 24 this fails due to the new managed env setup:
error: externally-managed-environment
× This environment is externally managed
╰─> To install Python packages system-wide, try apt install
python3-xyz, where xyz is the package you are trying to
install.
If you wish to install a non-Debian-packaged Python package,
create a virtual environment using python3 -m venv path/to/venv.
Then use path/to/venv/bin/python and path/to/venv/bin/pip. Make
sure you have python3-full installed.
If you wish to install a non-Debian packaged Python application,
it may be easiest to use pipx install xyz, which will manage a
virtual environment for you. Make sure you have pipx installed.
See /usr/share/doc/python3.12/README.venv for more information.
note: If you believe this is a mistake, please contact your Python installation or OS distribution provider. You can override this, at the risk of breaking your Python installation or OS, by passing --break-system-packages.
hint: See PEP 668 for the detailed specification.
My current workaround is using the sudo apt install python3-virtualenvwrapper command instead.
Can we add this to the Documentation somewhere? Maybe with a warning flag?
Activity
carltongibson commentedon Apr 28, 2026
@SCrocky — Yes, an edit to the docs here would be great. (
apt install python3-virtualenvwrapper— this sounds like what Ubuntu wants you to do.)I actually use pipx in this case, as per the message, but you have to set
VIRTUALENVWRAPPER_VIRTUALENVin this case.ferdnyc commentedon May 4, 2026
If Ubuntu's Python setup is sane and you're running the command from a non-
rootaccount, runningpip install --user virtualenvwrappershould also work, to install to$HOME/.local/instead.(In fact, installing with
--useris the default when runningpipfrom a regular user account on Fedora, and I thought the PyPa was going to make it the default forpipacross-the-board.)On a Fedora 43 machine, from my user-1000 account (see first line of output):