Error: externally-managed-environment on python package installation

Symptoms

I attempted to install a Python package using this command.

pip3 install [package-name]

And then this error was thrown.

Description

• Two types of Python are used in a single MacOS machine - User-specific and System-wide packages.
• System-wide packages are shared by all the users, and even system package managers like apt. Installing user-specific packages as system-wide packages is very dangerous because it can conflict with system package managers if they run some Python scripts.

Solution

1. Create ~/.config/pip/pip.conf and type this script.
   

   [install]
   break-system-packages = true
   user = true
   

2. Install pipenv to manage dependencies per project. The pip.conf file lets the command run with --break-system-packages and --user options. Otherwise, pipenv can't install some dependencies since the python packages require a certain python version.
   

   pip3 install pipenv
   which python3.13
   pipenv --python /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.13(directory of python)
   

3. If you're using zsh, add the directory of python to the PATH. Make sure the version is set explictly! Otherwise, pipenv command won't be found.
   

   export PATH="$HOME/Library/Python/3.13/bin:$PATH" # This loads 
   python
   

4. Run a file with the all project dependencies in a virtual environment
   

   pipenv run python [file-name] .py
   

5. Otherwise, you could run up a virtual environment instance and run the python file.
   

   pipenv shell
   python [file-name].py