ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'yaml'

TL;DR

The pip package is called PyYAML but you import it as yaml. Run pip install pyyaml, then import yaml works. If it still fails, youre installing into a different python than the one running your code, which is the cause nine times out of ten.

The error

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'yaml'

Fix it

1. Run pip install pyyaml in the same environment that runs your code.

Expected: pip prints Successfully installed PyYAML-x.y.z

1. Verify with python -c "import yaml; print(yaml.__version__)".

Expected: prints a version like 6.0.2 with no error

1. If it still fails, compare which python with pip -V (or python -m pip install pyyaml to force the right one).

Expected: both point at the same environment; the import then works

When this applies

• python raises ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'yaml' on import yaml
• you ran pip install yaml or pip install PyYAML and it still fails

When it does NOT apply

• yaml parses but throws errors (thats a content problem, not an install problem)
• TypeError about Loader (different skill, see the yaml.load Loader fix)

Tool and version notes

PyYAML 5.x and 6.x, Python 3.8+. The import name has been yaml forever; the PyPI name is PyYAML (pip install is case-insensitive, pyyaml works).

Other ways this shows up

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'yaml' inside a virtualenv

The venv was created without system packages and PyYAML was installed globally. Activate the venv first, then pip install pyyaml inside it.

ImportError: No module named yaml (older python wording)

Same fix. Python 3.6+ says ModuleNotFoundError, older versions say ImportError.

Why it happens

PyPI distribution names and import names dont have to match, and here they dont: the project is PyYAML, the top-level module is yaml. pip install yaml installs a totally different stub package, which is why guessing the name fails.

Edge cases

• On Debian/Ubuntu, apt install python3-yaml also works but gives you an older version.
• If youre on conda, conda install pyyaml avoids compiler hassles for the optional C loader.