ImportError: cannot import name 'ugettext' from 'django.utils.translation'

ImportError: cannot import name 'ugettext' from 'django.utils.translation'

TL;DR

ugettext was removed from Django in 4.0 (use gettext instead). Change from django.utils.translation import ugettext to from django.utils.translation import gettext. If the import is inside django-reversion or another package, upgrade that package past the version that fixed it.

The error

ImportError: cannot import name 'ugettext' from 'django.utils.translation'

Fix it

1. Search your code: grep -rn "ugettext" --include=*.py . Look for both ugettext and ugettext_lazy.

Expected: You see every file still using the old aliases.

1. Swap the aliases: ugettext becomes gettext, ugettextlazy becomes gettextlazy, ungettext becomes ngettext. The call signatures are identical.

Expected: Imports succeed and translations behave exactly as before.

1. If the traceback leads into site-packages, upgrade the package. django-reversion fixed this in 4.0.0; most maintained packages have equivalent fixes.

Expected: pip show [package] reports a version whose changelog mentions Django 4 support.

1. Run python manage.py check and your test suite to catch any remaining old alias in a corner of the codebase.

Expected: No ImportError anywhere and tests pass.

When to use this

Use when upgrading to Django 4.0+ and the traceback names ugettext, ugettext_lazy, or ungettext from django.utils.translation.

When NOT to use this

Not for missing .po/.mo translation files, untranslated strings, or LocaleMiddleware misconfiguration.

Version notes

ugettext aliases deprecated in Django 3.0, removed in 4.0. Code using them needs Django < 4.0 or the gettext rename.

Why it happens

Django dropped the u-prefixed translation aliases in 4.0 after a long deprecation. Anything still importing them, your code or a stale dependency, fails at import time on Django 4+.

Edge cases

Third-party packages are the usual culprit; pinning Django below 4.0 only postpones the rename, which is mechanical and safe.