ImportError+cannot+import+name+passwd+from+IPython+lib

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR: IPython removed passwd from IPython.lib. Import it from notebook.auth instead.

The error

ImportError: cannot import name 'passwd' from 'IPython.lib'

Fix it

1. Replace the import:

   from notebook.auth import passwd

   Expected: no import error.

2. For a version-proof script, gate it:

   try:
       from notebook.auth import passwd
   except ImportError:
       from IPython.lib import passwd

3. Verify:

   python -c "from notebook.auth import passwd; print(passwd('x')[:6])"

   Expected: prints the start of a hash like argon2:.

When this applies

Use this when a setup script does from IPython.lib import passwd on modern IPython.

When it does not apply

If the error names a different IPython.lib member, look up its new home. If notebook is not installed, install it; notebook.auth is where the function lives now.

Compatibility

Modern IPython (7+) with notebook installed. Very new jupyterserver-based setups moved it again to jupyterserver.auth; check if notebook.auth is absent.

Root cause

passwd generated the password hash for the classic notebook server. When auth moved with the server code, IPython dropped its copy, and scripts importing the old path break.

Edge cases

If you are hashing passwords for jupyterserver (not classic notebook), import from jupyterserver.auth instead. Never log or print full password hashes; they are secrets.

GitHub issue rlan/notebooks#112 reports ImportError: cannot import name 'passwd' from 'IPython.lib' when a docker setup script tried to generate the jupyter password hash. The verified fix: IPython removed passwd from IPython.lib (it lives in notebook.auth in modern installs), so the script had to import it from the new location. Full thread: https://github.com/rlan/notebooks/issues/112

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

IPython 9 removed the old ipython.core.display re-export of display, so any notebook or library still importing it that way dies with ImportError. Change the import line to from IPython.display import display (same for HTML, Image, Markdown). Then grep the repo for other ipython.core.display imports so the next cell does not hit the same wall.

ImportError: cannot import name 'display' from 'ipython.core.display'

Use this when

• A notebook cell fails with ImportError naming ipython.core.display right after an IPython upgrade.
• The traceback points at a library file that does from ipython.core.display import display or HTML.
• You recently upgraded IPython past 8.x and old notebooks broke.

Not for this skill when

• The error is ModuleNotFoundError for ipykernel. That is a missing kernel package, a different fix.
• The kernel itself dies or segfaults. That is a binary/ABI problem, not an import path.

Steps

1. Confirm the IPython version with python -c "import IPython; print(IPython.__version__)". Verify: you see 9.x, where the old path is gone.
2. Find every old-style import: grep -rn "ipython.core.display" --include=*.py --include=*.ipynb .. Verify: you have the full list of files to change.
3. Replace from ipython.core.display import display with from IPython.display import display in each file. Verify: a fresh python -c "from IPython.display import display" imports cleanly.
4. Restart the kernel and re-run the failing cell top to bottom. Verify: no ImportError and outputs render.
5. If a third-party package does the old import and has no newer release, pin IPython below 9 in that environment. Verify: the package imports again in a fresh kernel.

Variant phrasings

importerror cannot import name display from ipython core display

The same failure with the ImportError prefix. Identical fix.

cannot import display from IPython after upgrade

The post-upgrade search phrasing. Same root cause, same one-line import change.

ipython.core.display deprecated

The historical framing. In current IPython the path is removed, not just deprecated.

Compatibility: IPython 8.x and 9.x. The from IPython.display import ... form works on every IPython version worth running, so use it unconditionally.

Why it happens

IPython moved its display helpers to the top-level IPython.display package years ago and kept ipython.core.display as a compatibility re-export. IPython 9 dropped that shim.

Edge cases / pitfalls

• Notebooks saved with the old import in many cells all need editing, not just the first one that errors.
• Vendored copies of the old import inside site-packages of abandoned libraries cannot be fixed by editing your code. Pin IPython or patch the library.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_C124ERHrlyxw5KV2tLN0sw

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_C124ERHrlyxw5KV2tLN0sw

Thread query: "cannot import name 'display' from 'ipython.core.display'"

TL;DR: IPython 9 removed the old ipython.core.display re-export of display, so any notebook or library still importing it that way dies with ImportError. Change the import line to from IPython.display import display (same for HTML, Image, Markdown). Then grep the repo for other ipython.core.display imports so the next cell does not hit the same wall.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR: the third-party path.py package conflicts with IPython's imports. Uninstall path.py, or upgrade IPython past the fragile era.

The error

ImportError: cannot import name path

Fix it

1. Remove the conflicting package:

   pip uninstall -y path.py

   Expected: reports removal.

2. Verify:

   python -c "import IPython; print(IPython.__version__)"

   Expected: prints the version, no error.

3. Alternative: upgrade IPython and notebook to modern releases:

   pip install -U ipython notebook

When this applies

Use this when installing or launching old IPython raises the bare cannot-import-name-path error.

When it does not apply

If the error quotes the name ('path' with quotes) or names a from-module, it is a different import. If IPython is modern, this specific conflict does not occur.

Compatibility

Old IPython (5.x era and earlier) with the path.py package installed.

Root cause

Old IPython imported a name called path that the third-party path.py package also provides under a colliding import path. With both installed, Python resolved the wrong one and the expected name was missing.

Edge cases

Some old projects genuinely need path.py; in that case upgrading IPython is the only fix. Modern IPython renamed its internals, so the conflict is extinct there.

The classic Stack Overflow question on installing IPython (mirrored at exchangetuts) reports ImportError: cannot import name path when launching IPython. The verified fix from the thread: the third-party path.py package conflicts with what IPython imports, so pip uninstall -y path.py resolved it; upgrading ipython and notebook past the fragile era also works. Mirror: https://exchangetuts.com/installing-ipython-importerror-cannot-import-name-path-1639664827281464