On Windows, VENV does not copy pip module into a new created virtual environments

[celdorwow]

Bug report

Bug description:

When creating a new isolated environment via VENVE, module pip is not installed and does not exist in Lib/site-packages. The command pip is available but still operates on non-virtual environment level.

Specification

• Windows 10 Home (22H2)
• PowerShell 7.5.3
• Python 3.13.7
• Launcher (py.exe).

Steps to reproduce the issue

• Run py -m venv .venv
• Activate environment: .\ .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
• Try to upgrade pip: python -m pip install pip --upgrade
• Python will report the error that pip is not installed.

Other distribution s.a. 3.12 and 3.11 have the same issue.

Description

I simply run the following command py -m venv .venv to create a new environment, followed by activation .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1. I've got a new prompt (.venv) PS D ...> . The Get-Command python indicates the correct path to python.exe: <local path>\.venv\Scripts\python.exe.

Here's the problem. After activating new environment, while pip is still available as a standalone program, it does not work on a local level. If I try to run pip install numpy --dry-run, I get the report

Requirement already satisfied: numpy in <user>\appdata\local\programs\python\python313\lib\site-packages (2.3.3)

I believe pip should work on a local level. BTW, if I run the command Get-Command pip, the path to pip is

<User>\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python313\Scripts\pip.exe

Impossible to install new modules

This obviously leads to the problem of not being able to install new modules in newly created environments because pip is missing. For instance python -m pip install pip --upgrade issues the error

`<local path>\.venv\Scripts\python.exe: No module named pip

while python still works as expected, that is Get-Command python outputs

<local path>\.venv\Scripts\python.exe

I can also run Get-Children -Recurse -Path ".venv/" to check local Lib/site-packages

    Directory: <Local Path>\.venv

Mode                 LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                 -------------         ------ ----
d----          16/09/2025    12:20                Include
d----          16/09/2025    12:20                Lib
d----          16/09/2025    12:20                Scripts
-a---          16/09/2025    12:20             71 .gitignore
-a---          16/09/2025    12:20            338 pyvenv.cfg

    Directory: <Local Path>\.venv\Lib

Mode                 LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                 -------------         ------ ----
d----          16/09/2025    12:20                site-packages

    Directory: <Local Path>\.venv\Scripts

Mode                 LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                 -------------         ------ ----
-a---          16/09/2025    12:20           2208 activate
-a---          16/09/2025    12:20           1022 activate.bat
-a---          16/09/2025    12:20           2281 activate.fish
-a---          06/08/2025    16:16           9031 Activate.ps1
-a---          06/08/2025    16:14            393 deactivate.bat
-a---          06/08/2025    16:15         255320 python.exe
-a---          06/08/2025    16:15         251736 pythonw.exe

    Directory: <Local Path>\__pycache__

Mode                 LastWriteTime         Length Name
----                 -------------         ------ ----
-a---          29/07/2024    16:12          15096 backup.cpython-312.pyc

but the folder Lib/site-packages is empty. please, note Get-Children -Recurse ignores empty folders in further iteration.

---

Possible workarounds

The only working workaround is to copy pip and pip-25.2.dist-info from global Lib/site-packages into isolated environment's Lib/site-packages.

CPython versions tested on:

CPython main branch

Operating systems tested on:

Windows

[StanFromIreland]

You can run:

python -m ensurepip --upgrade

to install pip.

[celdorwow]

python -m ensurepip --upgrade

I had tried ensurepip before I decided to post and described my issue. python -m ensurepip --upgrade reports

Requirement already satisfied: pip in <local path>\.venv\lib\site-packages (25.2)

Right after, the following command python -m pip install pip --upgrade reports the error:

<local path>\.venv\Scripts\python.exe: No module named pip

Based on the output of the first command pip should already be installed somewhere. On the other hand, there is nothing that would indicate it exists within files and folders of a created environment. If I understand it, .venv\Lib\site-packages should not be empty and should contain pip.

I tried to reinstall python but it does not really help.

The workaround I mentioned before works by far. I am not sure if it's correct and if it's going to break something but for the time being I can install other modules.

[pradyunsg]

What does <local path>\.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m site print for you?

[celdorwow]

What does <local path>\.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m site print for you?

First, <local path> expands to D:\Documents\Programming\Python\Common.

I run

D:\Documents\Programming\Python\Common\.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m site

and have got this output

sys.path = [
    'D:\\Documents\\Programming\\Python\\Common',
    'C:\\Users\\Kozielki\\AppData\\Local\\Programs\\Python\\Python313\\python313.zip',
    'C:\\Users\\Kozielki\\AppData\\Local\\Programs\\Python\\Python313\\DLLs',
    'C:\\Users\\Kozielki\\AppData\\Local\\Programs\\Python\\Python313\\Lib',
    'C:\\Users\\Kozielki\\AppData\\Local\\Programs\\Python\\Python313',
    'D:\\Documents\\Programming\\Python\\Common\\.venv',
    'D:\\Documents\\Programming\\Python\\Common\\.venv\\Lib\\site-packages',
]
USER_BASE: 'C:\\Users\\<user name>\\AppData\\Roaming\\Python' (doesn't exist)
USER_SITE: 'C:\\Users\\<user name>\\AppData\\Roaming\\Python\\Python313\\site-packages' (doesn't exist)
ENABLE_USER_SITE: False

One note regarding the output, ENV variables point at wrong installation folder, the installer selected \\AppData\Local\Programming\Python for all three distributions: 3.11, 3.12 and 3.13, not \\AppData\Roaming\Python.

EDIT. Actually regarding the installer, I can't remember what was selected but I am almost positive I didn't change anything. I only considered to install Python for all user or just for me and eventually left everything set to default.