Windows10+Python3.8.5安装plotly遇_distutils_hack缺失错误求助

Hey there, I’ve dealt with this exact _distutils_hack error before when working with older Python versions and setuptools. Let’s walk through some practical fixes to get Plotly installed successfully:

First, Let’s Recap Your Scenario #

You’re on Windows 10 running Python 3.8.5, using an admin Command Prompt. When running pip3 install plotly, the install fails while trying to set up retrying-1.3.3 with this error:

ERROR: Command errored out with exit status 1:
 command: 'c:\programdata\python38\python.exe' -c 'import sys, setuptools, tokenize; sys.argv[0] = '"'"'C:\Users\student\AppData\Local\Temp\pip-install-2qndeluw\retrying_de785ef56b9d4150b577dd9f4437e271\setup.py'"'"'; __file__='"'"'C:\Users\student\AppData\Local\Temp\pip-install-2qndeluw\retrying_de785ef56b9d4150b577dd9f4437e271\setup.py'"'"';f=getattr(tokenize, '"'"'open'"'"', open)(__file__);code=f.read().replace('"'"'
'"'"', '"'"'
'"'"');f.close();exec(compile(code, __file__, '"'"'exec'"'"'))' egg_info --egg-base 'C:\Users\student\AppData\Local\Temp\pip-pip-egg-info-3tjoj6d_'
 cwd: C:\Users\student\AppData\Local\Temp\pip-install-2qndeluw\retrying_de785ef56b9d4150b577dd9f4437e271\
Complete output (5 lines):
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
  File "c:\programdata\python38\lib\site-packages\setuptools\__init__.py", line 8, in <module>
    import _distutils_hack.override # noqa: F401
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named '_distutils_hack'

Solutions to Try #

1. Downgrade Setuptools to a Version Compatible with Python 3.8 #

Newer setuptools versions dropped support for older Python releases like 3.8, which often causes this _distutils_hack mismatch. Here’s how to fix it:

• Uninstall your current setuptools:

  pip3 uninstall -y setuptools
  

• Install a compatible version (44.0.0 works great with Python 3.8):

  pip3 install setuptools==44.0.0
  

• Now try installing Plotly again:

  pip3 install plotly
  

2. Install retrying Without Build Isolation #

The build isolation process is sometimes the culprit here. Skip it for the retrying package first, then install Plotly:

• Install retrying with the --no-build-isolation flag:

  pip3 install retrying>=1.3.3 --no-build-isolation
  

• Once that’s done, install Plotly normally:

  pip3 install plotly
  

3. Upgrade Pip to the Latest Supported Version #

Outdated pip can cause dependency resolution issues. Update it first:

python -m pip install --upgrade pip

Then retry the Plotly install.

4. Repair Your Python 3.8 Installation #

Sometimes the built-in distutils module gets corrupted or wasn’t installed correctly:

1. Locate your Python 3.8.5 installer (download it again from python.org if you don’t have it).
2. Run the installer and select Modify.
3. Ensure the distutils component is checked (it should be under "Optional Features").
4. Click Next and follow the prompts to complete the repair.
5. After repair, try installing Plotly again.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者blizzardus