python system_error ai_generated true

ERROR: Could not install packages due to an OSError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/usr/local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/...'

ID: python/pip-permission-denied-system-site-packages

Also available as: JSON · Markdown · 中文
80%Fix Rate
89%Confidence
0Evidence
2024-01-05First Seen

Version Compatibility

VersionStatusIntroducedDeprecatedNotes
3.7 active — — —
3.8 active — — —
3.9 active — — —
3.10 active — — —
3.11 active — — —

Root Cause

pip is attempting to install into the system-wide site-packages directory without sufficient write permissions. This occurs when running pip without sudo on a system Python or when the directory is owned by root.

generic

中文

pip 试图安装到系统级的 site-packages 目录，但没有足够的写入权限。这通常发生在未使用 sudo 运行 pip 或目录属于 root 用户时。

Workarounds

  1. 95% success 
    Install to user site-packages: pip install --user <package>.
  2. 98% success 
    Create and use a virtual environment: python -m venv myenv && source myenv/bin/activate && pip install <package>.

Dead Ends

Common approaches that don't work:

  1. 70% fail

    Using sudo can install packages as root, causing permission issues later and potentially breaking the system Python environment.

  2. 85% fail

    Creates security risks and may still fail if the directory is immutable or on a read-only filesystem.