How to fix ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pkg_resources' in Python

pkg_resources lives in the environment that is actually running your code, so first confirm which Python that is:

which python3
python3 --version
python3 -c "import sys; print(sys.executable)"

If you use a virtual environment, make sure it is activated (you should see its name in your prompt):

source myenv/bin/activate   # Linux/macOS
myenv\Scripts\activate      # Windows

Because pkg_resources is provided by setuptools, installing/upgrading setuptools fixes the error in the vast majority of cases:

python3 -m pip install --upgrade setuptools

Using python3 -m pip (instead of a bare pip) guarantees the install goes into the same interpreter that raised the error. Then verify it imports:

python3 -c "import pkg_resources; print(pkg_resources.__file__)"

If that prints a path with no error, the problem is resolved.

Virtual environments created with a recent python -m venv no longer install setuptools automatically. After creating and activating the venv, add setuptools (and refresh pip):

python3 -m venv myenv
source myenv/bin/activate          # Windows: myenv\Scripts\activate
python -m pip install --upgrade pip setuptools

Then reinstall your project dependencies inside the venv:

pip install -r requirements.txt

setuptools 81+ has begun deprecating and removing pkg_resources. If you control the project but cannot immediately migrate, declare setuptools as an explicit dependency and pin it to a version that still ships pkg_resources:

# requirements.txt
setuptools<81

or in pyproject.toml:

[project]
dependencies = [
  "setuptools<81",
]

Treat this as a temporary bridge, not a permanent fix — see Advanced notes for migrating off pkg_resources.

If setuptools is present but the importing package is still broken, reinstall the offending package so its metadata is regenerated:

python3 -m pip install --force-reinstall <package-name>

If the environment is in an inconsistent state (e.g. partial upgrades), the cleanest fix is to recreate it from scratch:

deactivate 2>/dev/null
rm -rf myenv          # remove only the venv directory, not your project
python3 -m venv myenv
source myenv/bin/activate
python -m pip install --upgrade pip setuptools
pip install -r requirements.txt

Note: rm -rf myenv deletes the virtual environment directory only — double-check the path so you don't remove project files. Recreating a venv is safe because it contains no source code, only installed dependencies.