The installation of Python packages can be a confusing and frustrating process for many people, especially when it comes to building wheels for Numpy. Wheels are an important part of the installation process for many Python packages, and if the wheels cannot be built, the package may not be able to be installed.
In this article, we will discuss the common issues that can arise when attempting to build wheels for Numpy, and how to resolve them.
What are Python wheels?
Python Wheels are an integral part of the Python environment and are designed to simplify the installation of Python packages.
They are usually associated with a .whl file, which is a smaller version of the package and therefore is more efficient and faster to install. This is due to the fact that it contains the Python source code and all the required metadata.
The name “wheel” is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the original name of the Python repository, “cheeseShop”, which is a wheel of cheese.
Wheels and Numpy Version Incompatibility:
Most of the time, when you are facing the error “could not build wheels for NumPy”, it’s usually because there is a version mismatch between your NumPy version and your python version. You either need to update your python version or explicitly set your NumPy version to match your system’s python version.
Error: Could not build wheels for NumPy
The error mostly appears when installing the Numpy package or a specific version of the numpy package which is incompatible with the current python version, using :
pip install numpy
or
pip install numpy=1.24.0 #the latest version
gives the output:
ERROR: Failed building wheel for numpy
Failed to build numpy
ERROR: Could not build wheels for numpy
How to Fix “Could not build wheels for NumPy”
There are three very simple ways in which the error can be solved, you don’t need to sweat when facing this error because it is very easy to solve.
1. Upgrade pip from the command prompt or from the python terminal
Check the python version before upgrading your pip by running the following code in the command prompt:
python --version
Next, It is recommended to use the command prompt and not the python IDE terminal to upgrade pip. Run the following command in the command prompt:
python.exe -m pip install --upgrade pip
or if using the python IDE terminal, use:
pip install --upgrade pip
After the pip has been upgraded, check the python version again. The version should be updated to match the latest one.
Now, try installing numpy by running the following command:
pip install numpy
Now you should get the following message:
Successfully installed numpy- "latest version name"
2. Installing version-specific NumPy in accordance with python
This is another solution to the wheels error to avoid version mismatch. Run the following command in the command prompt to check the python version first:
python --version
The output will give you the specific version of python installed in your computer. Mine is the latest version hence the output says python 3.11 as shown below:
Python 3.11.0
Now check what version of numpy is compatible with the version of python in your computer. Click here to visit the official site and select the compatible version from all releases. Next, run the following command in the command prompt:
pip install numpy == "required version number"
Numpy should be installed successfully. You should be able to import numpy in all your projects now.
3. Uninstalling numpy and reinstalling numpy again
Run the following command:
pip uninstall numpy
Until you receive a message:
no files available with numpy to uninstall
Now again freshly install numpy, you can specify the version or not according to your use.
pip install numpy
The problem should be fixed by now.
Verifying the numpy version
You an check the numpy version after installation by running the following command:
pip show numpy
It will give the complete details of your installed numpy package similar to what is shown below:
Name: numpy
Version: 1.23.5
Summary: NumPy is the fundamental package for array computing with Python.
Home-page: https://www.numpy.org
Author: Travis E. Oliphant et al.
Author-email:
License: BSD
Location: C:\Users\AUTHOR\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python311\Lib\site-packages
Requires:
Required-by: contourpy, matplotlib, opencv-python
Conclusion
The error “could not build wheels for NumPy” can be solved in a few simple steps. Upgrading pip, installing a version-specific NumPy in accordance with python, and uninstalling and reinstalling numpy are all possible solutions. If you are still running into issues, make sure to check the version of python and numpy you have installed and make sure they are compatible.