IPython command not found Terminal OSX. Pip installed

Question

Using Python 2.7 installed via homebrew. I then used pip to install IPython. So, IPython seems to be installed under:

/usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/

I think this is true because there is a IPython directory and ipython egg.

However, when I type ipython in the terminal I get:

-bash: ipython: command not found

I do not understand why this ONLY happens with IPython and not with python? Also, how do I fix this? What path should I add in .bashrc? And how should I add?

Currently, my .bashrc reads:

PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin/

Thanks!

Patisserie

Is it actually running the python you installed, as it already had python before you installed another version of it. – Introjection

I added the comment to the main question. – Patisserie

Find out where the ipython script was installed, and if necessary symlink it to somewhere on your PATH. – Hauteur

What is it that I look for "ipython installation"? Do I look for .app or .egg? And what command do I use to symlink? Thanks! – Patisserie

From bash you have to start ipython with the following command: ipython-2.7 (and NOT just with ipython) – Transform

For quick reference to answer below by Luna Kong: specify a python module (such as IPython) using the -m parameter: 'python -m IPython'. – Batangas

Answer 1

I had this issue too, the following worked for me and seems like a clean simple solution:

pip uninstall ipython

pip install ipython

I'm running mavericks and latest pip

Troostite

Thanks for your answer. I just installed Anaconda and got everything to work. – Patisserie

For some users, doing just pip install ipython might give an access denied error. In that case, you need: sudo pip install ipython – Rescissory

Using pip install -U --user --force ipython worked through. – Leavitt

Answer 2

Check IPython whether is installed by below command:

$python -m IPython

If you got this result as above picture.

Then run this command on terminal and add into ~/.bash_profile file

$alias ipython='python -m IPython'

So try run "ipython" again on terminal. It works fine for me.

Reference topics:

ipython on MacOS 10.10 - command not found

iPython installed but not found

Assamese

just had similar issue when updating from Mac OSX Mojave to Catalina and changing to zsh as a standard shell, even in the bash version of it the ipython command was broken, adding alias ipython="python3 -m IPython" to ~/.zshrc fixes it – Eclogue

Answer 3

Create .pydistutils.cfg in your homedir with following content:

[global]
verbose=1

[install]
install-scripts=$HOME/bin

[easy_install]
install-scripts=$HOME/bin

And then: pip install -U --user ipython. Of course $HOME/bin must be in your $PATH. Packages are going to be installed in $HOME/Library/Python, so user only, not system wide.

Melanism

Hmm....when I do the pip command as you suggested I get: no such option: --user #I added my account name as user, obviously! Any ideas why the command fails? – Patisserie

pip needs to be installed into homedir too. Run easy_install --user pip, to got one in your $HOME/bin and then --user option will be enabled. – Melanism

Wait, when I try EXACTLY the command you suggested I have the following: pip install -U --user ipython Requirement already up-to-date: ipython in /usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages Cleaning up... – Patisserie

OK, I did the following: easy_install --user pip Searching for pip Best match: pip 1.3.1 Processing pip-1.3.1-py2.7.egg Adding pip 1.3.1 to easy-install.pth file Installing pip script to /Users/XXXX/bin Installing pip-2.7 script to /Users/XXXX/bin where XXXX is the username. I also have the .pydistutils.cfg file in my home directory and still ipython command is not recognized. – Patisserie

The run again: pip install -U --user --force ipython, to get it reinstalled and scripts put in $HOME/bin. – Melanism

Yay! That works. Thanks SO MUCH for your patience and perseverance. – Patisserie

Found this necessary again on El Capitan; thanks for the detailed instructions. – Thesda

Answer 4

Try run brew install ipython:

then run xcode-select --install；

run brew install git,

If you got this result as above picture. Refer to enter link description here

At last, run brew install ipython

Zajac

Answer 5

I use pip3 install ipython is OK.

maybe ipython rely on python3

Nougat

Answer 6

After trying to a number of solutions like above with out joy, when I restarted my terminal, Ipython command launched. Don't forgot to restart your terminal after all the fiddling!

P.S. I think the brew install Ipython did it ... but can't be sure.

Claptrap

Answer 7

For me the only thing that helped was: python -m pip install --upgrade pip

Upgrading pip did the work and all the installations started working properly! Give it a try.

Imperium

Artem R U Sure? – Rachmaninoff

Answer 8

Another way is to find the ipython launcher script that was created when installing ipython via pip and use it.

Find where ipython is by running:

find / -name ipython

You may have to add sudo: sudo find / -name ipython

In my case (macOS: Ventura 3.13, python 3.11 ) this returned:

/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.11/bin/ipython

Verify that this ipython script works as expected.

Run the whole path in the terminal: /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.11/bin/ipython. You should see the ipython console prompt

Next, you need to tell your mac that the command ipython means in fact /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.11/bin/ipython. You do that by creating a symbolic link in /usr/local/bin/ to the real location of ipython with ln -s <source file> <target file>.

In the terminal run:

ln -s /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.11/bin/ipython /usr/local/bin/ipython

And ipython now starts an ipython session

Biosphere

Answer 9

brew install ipython worked for apple sillicon chips.

Memorabilia