Permission denied error by installing matplotlib

Question

I installed opencv with all dependencies. After the installation I tried to import matplotlib for a simple example.

Then I got the following error, when I tried to install matplotlib via pip with pip install matplotlib:

Could not install packages due to an EnvironmentError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/usr/local/lib/python3.5/dist-packages/kiwisolver.cpython-35m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so'
Consider using the `--user` option or check the permissions.

What can I do to install matplotlib?

Answer 1

It looks like your user does not have the permission to install packages in your system (for all users). Here's how to fix this problem for Linux, macOS and Windows.

---

Linux / macOS

From your terminal, you can install the package for your user only, like this:

pip install <package> --user

OR

You can use su or sudo from your terminal, to install the package as root:

sudo pip install <package>

---

Windows

From the Command Prompt, you can install the package for your user only, like this:

pip install <package> --user

OR

You can install the package as Administrator, by following these steps:

1. Right click on the Command Prompt icon
2. Select the option Run This Program As An Administrator
3. Run the command pip install <package>