[Fixed] Modulenotfounderror: No Module Named pip_autoremove

Certainly, a user may encounter modulenotfounderror: no module named pip_autoremove while working on a Python code. This error implies that a module named pip_autoremove couldn’t be found. But is that all? Let’s check and comprehend the pip_autoremove module.

pip_autoremove Module

Have you ever installed multiple Python modules at once and later felt that you don’t need them anymore? This is when the pip_autoremove Module comes to your rescue. Its job is to remove libraries that have not been used, thus, releasing the memory overheads.

Syntax of pip_autoremove

Have a look at pip_autoremove module’s syntax:

pip-autoremove package_name
#if no confirmation is needed
pip-autoremove -y package_name

Reasons for the missing module

• The interpreter can’t find the pip_autoremove package.
• The path of the package is not correct.
• Your system doesn’t have the correct version of the pip_autoremove module.

Fixing the error

Follow these steps to fix this error. Start from scratch by reinstalling the package correctly.

Installing the correct package

Check the installation prompt.

pip install pip-autoremove

Checking the path

If the path is incorrect, you will always get the aforementioned error. To prevent this, check the path using the sys module function, sys.path.

import sys
print(sys.path)

Updating path

In case you don’t get the required path, use export command to set the correct path. Update this with the path of directory where you have installed the package.

export PYTHONPATH="directory _name$PYTHONPATH"

Checking version of pip-autoremove

After installing, check whether updated version of python exists or not.

pip show pip-autoremove

In case. the updated version doesn’t exist, you should upgrade to the latest one.

pip install pip-autoremove --upgrade

Checking virtual environment

You can install pip_autoremove in a virtual environment too. You need to activate it first using the given command.

python -m venv my_virtual_environment

After creating the virtual environment, you need to install the pip-autoremove module. This will give you an error-free usage of pip_autoremove in python.

pip install pip-autoremove

Changing the location

It is suggested that a user should change the location of the pip_autoremove.py file. It may be misplaced or installed in a location which is undesired. In case it is installed for all users, you need to change the location from Scripts to Lib.

C:\Program Files\Python311\Scripts
#to 
C:\Program Files\Python311\Lib

In case of separate user installation, change the location to: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python311\Lib

What Next?

Once you have gone through the above-mentioned steps, check the version again using:

pip-autoremove --version

Through this, you will be sure of the fact that you have the correct version of pip_autoremove. After this, you need to specify the package that has to be deleted.

pip-autoremove.exe package_name

Is pip_autoremove maintained?

The GitHub repository of pip_autoremove is not updated. The latest release was roughly two years ago. This holds a few disadvantages:

• The latest versions of Python may not support pip_autoremove
• It has the tendency to remove packages that may be utilized by other packages in Python code.

Nowadays, poetry and pipdeptree are two such libraries that are considered to be alternatives to pip_autoremove.

Some Points to Consider

The following tips are due to some common errors made by users.

• Make sure that your virtual environment is active if you are using one.
• Sometimes, it might be possible that you are using an incorrect Python environment. The given command lets you check the environment you are currently using.

conda info --envs

FAQs

Conclusion

This article covers fixing the modulenotfounderror: no module named pip_autoremove error. Thus, it elaborates the reasons for this error and enlists how one can get rid of this error. The easy approach is to install the pip_autoremove module again and update its path.