When My Python Virtual Environment Didn't Work and How I Fixed It
Sudeepa E S
Test Architect | Automation + Infra Builder | Product-First QA Leader | Clinical Platforms | Python | CI/CD | Toolsmith
A few days ago, I faced a strange issue. I had created a virtual environment using
and activated it.
But when I tried to install packages using , it threw this at me:
Even though the prompt showed and everything looked fine — was missing inside my venv. Confused? So was I.
🧪 What Went Wrong?
It turned out I had created the virtual environment from a Windows-style Python interpreter, but I was working in a Unix-style terminal (macOS).
As a result:
The folder structure was instead of
Scripts had Windows line endings () that broke Unix parsing
Activation didn’t wire up correctly
🛠️ How I Fixed It
Deleted the broken venv
Created a clean Unix-style venv using system Python
Activated it properly
Installed packages without issues
Everything just worked from there — was available, dependencies installed cleanly, and I could run my scripts inside the venv with no issues.
If you’ve ever hit strange Python venv issues across platforms, let me know your experience!
#Python #VirtualEnvironment #Automation #DevTips #macOS #Appium