How to pip or easy_install tkinter on Windows

Question

My Idle is throwing errors that and says tkinter can't be imported.

Is there a simple way to install tkinter via pip or easy_install?

There seem to be a lot of package names flying around for this...

This and other assorted variations with tkinter-pypy aren't working.

pip install python-tk

I'm on Windows with Python 2.7 and I don't have apt-get or other system package managers.

score 106 · Answer 1 · edited Jan 10 '20 at 19:42

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The Tkinter library is built-in with every Python installation. And since you are on Windows, I believe you installed Python through the binaries on their website?

If so, Then most probably you are typing the command wrong. It should be:

import Tkinter as tk

Note the capital T at the beginning of Tkinter.

For Python 3,

import tkinter as tk

edited Jan 10 '20 at 19:42

User123

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answered Nov 18 '13 at 09:52

IcyFlame

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import Tkinter as tk gets: Traceback (most recent call last): File "", line 1, in File "C:\Python27\lib\lib-tk\Tkinter.py", line 38, in import FixTk File "C:\Python27\lib\lib-tk\FixTk.py", line 65, in import _tkinter ImportError: DLL load failed: %1 is not a valid Win32 application. – Dirk Calloway Nov 18 '13 at 10:04
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For the import statement: Python 2.* uses Tkinter with capital 'T', Python 3.*: uses tkinter with small 't'. – robsn Jan 10 '15 at 18:11
This works for me on Windows 10 and python 3.7.0 on 64 bit – Ole_S Jan 07 '19 at 06:15
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Easy and Better answer @IcyFlame – Jason Li Jun 04 '19 at 13:56

Keith · Answer 2 · 2017-01-05T04:43:16.263

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If you are using virtualenv, it is fine to install tkinter using sudo apt-get install python-tk(python2), sudo apt-get install python3-tk(python3), and and it will work fine in the virtual environment

edited Jan 05 '17 at 04:43

answered Jan 03 '17 at 01:42

Keith

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But this doesn't work if we don't have sudo access and are inside our own virtualenv. – ComputerScientist Jun 16 '17 at 04:28
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"sudo apt-get install python-tk" worked for me WHILE inside my virtualenv and fixed my issue. Thanks! – Thom Ives Sep 26 '17 at 18:34
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That doesn't answer the question since the OP is working on windows. The answer belongs to a linux question. – Frederik.L Feb 16 '18 at 20:45

score 45 · Accepted Answer · edited Jan 10 '20 at 19:13

Well I can see two solutions here:

1) Follow the Docs-Tkinter install for Python (for Windows):

Tkinter (and, since Python 3.1, ttk) are included with all standard Python distributions. It is important that you use a version of Python supporting Tk 8.5 or greater, and ttk. We recommend installing the "ActivePython" distribution from ActiveState, which includes everything you'll need.

In your web browser, go to Activestate.com, and follow along the links to download the Community Edition of ActivePython for Windows. Make sure you're downloading a 3.1 or newer version, not a 2.x version.

Run the installer, and follow along. You'll end up with a fresh install of ActivePython, located in, e.g. C:\python32. From a Windows command prompt, or the Start Menu's "Run..." command, you should then be able to run a Python shell via:

% C:\python32\python

This should give you the Python command prompt. From the prompt, enter these two commands:

>>> import tkinter
>>> tkinter._test()

This should pop up a small window; the first line at the top of the window should say "This is Tcl/Tk version 8.5"; make sure it is not 8.4!

2) Uninstall 64-bit Python and install 32 bit Python.

for import _tkinter I get: Traceback (most recent call last): File "", line 1, in ImportError: DLL load failed: %1 is not a valid Win32 application. — Dirk Calloway, Nov 18 '13 at 09:52

score 21 · Answer 4 · answered Apr 25 '18 at 16:43

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When installing make sure that under Tcl/Tk you select Will be installed on hard drive. If it is installing with a cross at the left then Tkinter will not be installed.

The same goes for Python 3:

answered Apr 25 '18 at 16:43

Simon

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Thanks for this reminder! I'd completely forgotten those two were coupled. – Energya Sep 09 '18 at 11:01

score 17 · Answer 5 · answered Oct 01 '17 at 07:58

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When you install python for Windows, use the standard option or install everything it asks. I got the error because I deselected tcl.

answered Oct 01 '17 at 07:58

cn123h

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That's it! I deselected "tk/tcl and IDLE" option during installation because I didn't want IDLE. I reinstalled python and tkinter is detected. – matt-pielat Oct 23 '17 at 17:11
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If this is the case, tkinter can be added by modifying the installation and ticking tk/tcl – Prof Jan 08 '18 at 20:15

score 3 · Answer 6 · edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:08

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Inside cmd, run command pip install tk and Tkinter should install.

edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:08

TheTechRobo36414519

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answered Jul 23 '19 at 10:08

Sparsh Bansal

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I did this on Ubuntu and it installed TensorKit, a library related to deep learning. – Milad Shahidi Oct 21 '19 at 05:24
Yep, it's *not* tkinter. https://pypi.org/project/tk/ – Osman-pasha Apr 05 '21 at 12:17

score 2 · Answer 7 · answered Aug 27 '19 at 09:02

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Had the same problem in Linux. This solved it. (I'm on Debian 9 derived Bunsen Helium)

$ sudo apt-get install python3-tk

answered Aug 27 '19 at 09:02

AAAfarmclub

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This worked for me on my Ubuntu 18.04 server but why? Do linux python distributions not come with tkinter? – Jesse Reza Khorasanee Sep 15 '19 at 00:37
For a long time, they only came with Python 2. – AAAfarmclub Sep 16 '19 at 08:04
Doesnt answer the question — OP is running Windows. – TheTechRobo36414519 Jun 19 '20 at 23:20

score 2 · Answer 8 · answered Dec 14 '20 at 11:53

I came here looking for an answer to this same question and none of the answers above actually answer the question at all!

So after some investigation I found out: there is a package (for python 3.x at least):

pip3 install pytk

The problem is, it is only the python part of the equation and doesn't install the tkinter libraries in your OS, so the answer is that you can't install it completely via pip https://tkdocs.com/tutorial/install.html

Personally I find this very annoying as i'm packaging a python application to be installed via pip that uses tkinter and I was looking for a way to have pip ensure that tkinter is installed and the answer is I can't I have to instruct users to install it if it's not installed already, a very poor experience for end users who should not need to know or care what tkinter is to use my application.

score 1 · Answer 9 · edited Jun 19 '20 at 18:41

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In python, Tkinter was a default package, you can repair the installation and select Tcl/Tk. repair When you run this, DDL should be installed like so: enter image description here

edited Jun 19 '20 at 18:41

TheTechRobo36414519

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answered Mar 26 '18 at 05:01

vinothbalan64 balan

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score 1 · Answer 10 · answered Apr 01 '18 at 08:25

I'm posting as the top answer requotes the documentation which I didn't find useful.

tkinter comes packaged with python install on windows IFF you select it during the install window.

The solution is to repair the installation (via uninstall GUI is fine), and select to install tk this time. You may need to point at or redownload the binary in this process. Downloading directly from activestate did not work for me.

This is a common problem people have on windows as it's easy to not want to install TCL/TK if you don't know what it is, but Matplotlib etc require it.

FWIW, matplotlib can be used with PyQt5 (and several other graphics backends) instead of tkinter, and PyQt5 is neatly and completely installable via `pip install pyqt5`. — blubberdiblub, Mar 30 '21 at 11:28

score 0 · Answer 11 · answered Aug 04 '17 at 05:42

I had the similar problem with Win-8 and python-3.4 32 bit , I got it resolved by downloading same version from python.org .

Next step will be to hit the repair button and Install the Tk/tkinter Package or Just hit the repair. Now should get Python34/Lib/tkinter Module present. The import tkinter should work ..

score -1 · Answer 12 · edited Jun 20 '20 at 08:19

-1

Easiest way to do this:

cd C:\Users\%User%\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python37\Scripts> 
pip install pythonds

Screenshot of installing

edited Jun 20 '20 at 08:19

TheTechRobo36414519

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answered Sep 25 '19 at 12:59

Qureshi

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score -5 · Answer 13 · answered Jul 31 '14 at 19:38

-5

if your using python 3.4.1 just write this line from tkinter import * this will put everything in the module into the default namespace of your program. in fact instead of referring to say a button like tkinter.Button you just type Button

answered Jul 31 '14 at 19:38

keneth

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from Tkinter import * – TanuAD Jun 13 '16 at 14:31
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The question is asking about how to _install_ tkinter, not how to import it into a program. – Bryan Oakley Mar 15 '17 at 22:20

How to pip or easy_install tkinter on Windows

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