modulenotfounderror no module named _tkinter

Modulenotfounderror: no module named _tkinter

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In this article, we will discuss the solutions to resolve the error modulenotfounderror: no module named ‘tkinter’.

What is a tkinter?

The ‘_tkinter‘ module is a built-in Python module that provides a Python interface to the Tk GUI toolkit.

It is regularly included with Python installations in most platforms.

Some operating systems may require additional installation steps to make sure that the module is available.

Why modulenotfounderror: no module named tkinter occur?

The error message “ModuleNotFoundError: No module named ‘_tkinter’” occurs because if you try to import the ‘_tkinter‘ module in Python yet the module cannot find in your system.

What are the causes of the error no module named tkinter?

The cause of the error no module named tkinter is that the module tkinter is not installed in the python library.

Let’s have a look at the cause of the error in a different platform of operating systems.

The reasons of the error no module named _tkinter occurs on MacOS

The error “no module named tkinter” usually occurs on macOS when you are trying to run a Python script.

That uses the Tkinter library, which is a built-in library in Python that allows for the development of graphical user interfaces.

Here are the few reasons why this error may occur on macOS:

  • Python version: The older versions of macOS with a pre-installed version of Python 2, which could not include the Tkinter module. When you are using Python 3 and the script requires Tkinter, you need to install it separately.
  • Python installation: When you installed Python from a package like Homebrew or MacPorts, it is not included the Tkinter library. In this situation, you should reinstall the Python with Tkinter support.
  • Virtual environment: When you are using a virtual environment for your Python project, it does not include the Tkinter library installed. You can install it through running the command “pip install tkinter” in your python virtual environment.

The reasons of the error no module named tkinter occurs on Windows

The error “ModuleNotFoundError: No module named ‘_tkinter'” on Windows will occur due to the following reasons:

  • Missing or incomplete installation: When you are using a version of Python which does not include the tkinter module or it is not installed properly, so that’s why you may encounter this error.
  • Incorrect Python version: When you are using a 64-bit version of Python and a 32-bit version of Tcl/Tk or vice versa, the _tkinter module cannot find the required file, so that’s why you may encounter this error.

The reasons of the error no module named ‘tkinter’ occurs on Linux

The error “ModuleNotFoundError: No module named ‘_tkinter’” generally occurs on Linux if the tkinter module is not installed or it is not properly configured on your computer.

How to solve the modulenotfounderror: no module named tkinter?

Here are the solutions to solve the no module named tkinter python different platform in operating systems.

Solution 1: Install Tkinter module on Windows operating system

To install the Tkinter module on Windows, you can follow the following steps below:

Step 1: Open a web browser and go to the Python website at https://www.python.org/downloads/.

Python Website Modulenotfounderror: no module named _tkinter

Step 2: Click the “Download Python” button and download the latest version of Python for Windows.

Step 3: Once the download is complete, run the installer and follow the instructions to install Python on your computer.

Step 4: After that, check the tcl/tk and IDLE checkbox to install tkinter for your Python version.

Step 5: Type “pip install tkinter” in the command prompt and press Enter. It will download and install the Tkinter module on your computer.

Step 6: Ensure to check the following options when you get prompted:

  • tcl/tk and IDLE (installs tkinter and the IDLE development environment)
  • Install launcher for all users (recommended)
  • Add Python to PATH (this adds Python to your PATH environment variable)
  • Install the standard library test suite

Step 7: Once the installation is complete, you can open a Python shell and import the Tkinter module by typing “import tkinter” and pressing Enter.

import tkinter

That’s it! You should now be able to use Tkinter in your Python programs.

Solution 2: Install Tkinter module on MacOS operating system

Here are the steps to solve error no module name ‘tkinter’ on MacOS operating system.

Step 1: Check if Tkinter is installed: Open a terminal window and type the following command:

python -m tkinter

This command will execute a simple Tkinter window. When you get an error message “No module named tkinter“, then the Tkinter is not installed on your system.

Step 2: Install Tkinter: If Tkinter is not installed, you can install it using Homebrew. Open a command prompt window and type the following commands:

brew update 
brew install python-tk

The command above will install the Tkinter module for the default version of Python installed in your system.

Step 3: Configure the environment variables: When you have installed different versions of Python on your system and you are still encountering the error.

You should configure the path environment variables. Open a terminal window or command prompt and type the following commands:

export PYTHONHOME=/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.9 
export PATH=$PYTHONHOME/bin:$PATH

Replace “3.9” with the Python version you are using. It will set the PYTHONHOME and PATH environment variables to the correct values.

Step 4: Test Tkinter: Once you have installed Tkinter and configured the environment variables, open a Python shell or the command prompt and type the following commands:

import tkinter 
root = tkinter.Tk() 
root.mainloop()

This will execute a simple Tkinter window. When the window appears without any errors, then the Tkinter is working successfully on your system.

Through these following steps, you should be able to solve the “no module named _tkinter” error on MacOS and you can use Tkinter in your Python program project.

Solution 1: Install Tkinter module on Linux operating system

If you are encountering an error while trying to use the Tkinter module on your Linux system, you can follow these steps to solve it:

Step 1: Check if Tkinter is installed: Open a terminal window and type the following command:

python3 -m tkinter

The above command will execute a simple Tkinter window. When you get an error message “No module named tkinter“, so it means the Tkinter module is not installed on your computer.

Step 2: Install Tkinter: When Tkinter is not installed, you can install it using your package manager. It depends on your Linux version, the command to install Tkinter it should be different.

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install python3-tk

Fedora:

sudo dnf install python3-tkinter

CentOS/RHEL: 

sudo yum install python3-tkinter

Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S tk

The command above it will install the Tkinter module for Python 3 on your system.

Step 3: Test Tkinter: Once you have installed Tkinter, open a Python shell or command prompts and then type the following commands:

import tkinter
root = tkinter.Tk()
root.mainloop()

The above command will execute a simple Tkinter window. When you get an error message “No module named tkinter“, so it means the Tkinter module is not installed on your computer.

Conclusion

To conclude this article, through the following solutions above, you should be able to solve the “no module named tkinter” error on Linux, Windows, MacOS and you can use the Tkinter in your Python programs successfully.

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