ImportError: cannot import name main when running pip --version command in windows7 32 bit

Question

The bug is found in pip 10.0.0.

In linux you need to modify file: /usr/bin/pip from:

from pip import main
if __name__ == '__main__':
    sys.exit(main())

to this:

from pip import __main__
if __name__ == '__main__':
    sys.exit(__main__._main())

Even though the original question seems to be from 2015, this 'bug' seems to affect users installing pip-10.0.0 as well.

The workaround is not to modify pip, however to change the way pip is called. Instead of calling /usr/bin/pip call pip via Python itself. For example, instead of the below:

pip install <package>

If from Python version 2 (or default Python binary is called python) do :

python -m pip install <package>

or if from Python version 3:

python3 -m pip install <package> 

On Ubuntu Server 16, I have the same problem with python27. Try this:

Change

from pip import main
if __name__ == '__main__':
    sys.exit(main())

To

from pip._internal import main
if __name__ == '__main__':
    sys.exit(main())

On Windows 10, I used the following commands to downgrade pip:

python -m pip uninstall pip
python -m pip install pip==9.0.3

This should also work on Linux and Mac too.

I had the same problem, but uninstall and reinstall with apt and pip didn't work for me.

I saw another solution that presents a easy way to recover pip3 path:

sudo python3 -m pip uninstall pip && sudo apt install python3-pip --reinstall

i fixed the problem by reinstalling pip using get-pip.py.

1. Download get-pip from official link: https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/installing/#upgrading-pip
2. run it using commande: python get-pip.py.

And pip is fixed and work perfectly.