Catalina Python3 virtual environment creation issues

Answered

Created October 12, 2019 16:26

I recently upgraded my MacOS to Catalina and switched to the version of python3 bundled there (/usr/bin/python3) and removed the homebrew installation of Python3. Everything works great from the command line and from PyCharm but only from a virtual environment I've created myself (python3 -m venv).

When PyCharm creates a new virtual env (Preferences->Project->Project Interpreter) using /usr/bin/python3 as a base interpreter, PyCharm displays the following error

An environment is created, but it is unusable:

userid@localhost dash % source venv3/bin/activate

(venv3) userid@localhost dash % python3

dyld: Library not loaded: @executable_path/../Python3

Referenced from: /Users/userid/PycharmProjects/dash/venv3/bin/python3

Reason: image not found

zsh: abort python3

What is Pycharm using to create these virtual environments? Is there somewhere in Pycharm I can configure that? Do I have some remnants of the brew installed Python3 getting in its way possibly?

7 comments

Sayan Mukherjee

Created October 13, 2019 19:52

I am facing the same issue too!

Sergey Karpov

Created October 15, 2019 11:13

Hi all,

I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

We were not able to reproduce exactly this problem, but there seem to be some general issues when using this particular interpreter as a base.
Here is a bug report in our tracker https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/PY-38519, please upvote and follow for updates.

Tony Rice

Created October 15, 2019 12:29

If I understand you right, there's a general problem using PyCharm with the version of Python shipping with the MacOS? That sems significant.

The problem seems to be limited to the creation of virtual environments. Is there a way for end users to configure the way virtual environments are created by PyCharm, or is that buried in PyCharm somewhere?