Fix: line 1: import: command not found Python

If you are trying to execute a .py Python file in the terminal and you get the error "line 1: import: command not found" then the most common reason for it is that you are trying to execute the Python file as a script and it does not have the shebang line.

Example Code:

import sys
import subprocess

output = subprocess.check_output(["ls"])
print(output.decode())

Error:

Code2care@Mac % ./sample.py 
./sample.py: line 1: import: command not found
./sample.py: line 2: import: command not found
./sample.py: line 4: syntax error near unexpected token `('
./sample.py: line 4: `output = subprocess.check_output(["ls"])'

Fix: import: command not found

There are two ways to look at this issue,

Run the file as a Python Program

In most cases, one might be trying to run the .py file not as a script but as a Python program, so use python command instead of running it as a script.

Example:

python3 script.py

sample.py
data_folder

Run the file as a Python Script

If you want to run the file as a Python Script, then make sure that the first line of your .py file is a shebang,

#!/usr/bin/env python3

import sys
import subprocess

output = subprocess.check_output(["ls"])
print(output.decode())

./sample.py

sample.py
data_folder

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Author Info:

Rakesh (He/Him) is a seasoned developer with over 10 years of experience in web and app development, and a deep knowledge of operating systems. Author of insightful How-To articles for Code2care.

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