使用virtualenv创建虚拟环境失败：ModuleNotFoundError报错求助

Hey there! Let's get this virtualenv issue sorted out quickly. Here's what's going on and how to fix it:

Why this error happens #

You're using Python 3.8, and the version of virtualenv you have installed is too new—modern versions of virtualenv drop support for older Python releases like 3.8, and they rely on importlib.metadata, which is a module fully integrated into Python's standard library starting from Python 3.9. Since Python 3.8 doesn't have this built-in, you get the missing module error.

Solution 1: Downgrade virtualenv to a version compatible with Python 3.8 #

This is the most reliable fix for Python 3.8:

• First, uninstall your current, incompatible virtualenv:

  pip uninstall -y virtualenv
  

• Install a version of virtualenv that still supports Python 3.8 (version 20.24.6 is the last release that works with 3.8):

  pip install virtualenv==20.24.6
  

• Now try creating your virtual environment again:

  virtualenv venv
  

Solution 2: Install the importlib-metadata backport package #

If you prefer to keep your current virtualenv version, you can install the third-party backport of importlib.metadata that works with Python 3.8:

pip install importlib-metadata

After installing this, run your original virtualenv command again—it should work without the missing module error.

Note #

Make sure you're using the pip associated with your Python 3.8 installation. If you have multiple Python versions installed, you might need to use pip3.8 instead of just pip to ensure packages are installed for the correct Python version.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Naveenkumar A