Pip - Fatal error in launcher: Unable to create process using '"'

This worked for me under Windows 10 x64:

Ensure that the Python directories are in the path, e.g.:

# Edit Environment variables so that variable "path" points to the new location.
# Insert these at the start of the list (or delete other Python directories), as Windows takes the first match it finds.
# Type "Win-S" then search for "Edit the System Environment Variables".
# Or see Control Panel under "System Properties".
S:\Research\bin\Python375\Scripts\
S:\Research\bin\Python375\

Then:

python -m pip install --upgrade --force-reinstall pip

In my particular case, the error was caused by shifting the Python directory to a new location.


I fixed my issue by...

  1. downloading Python 3 at the official website and installing it via express installation
  2. Copy & Paste the standalone python into the ampps/python folder and overwriting the python version provided by AMPPS
  3. running python -m pip install --upgrade pip in cmd

Now pip and python 3 are installed in their latest version.

It seems that AMPPS doesnt't provide a full-fledged python build. So you need to update python yourself.

Thanks to y'all.


The same error, but in a different situation. I have a virtual environment, in which I ran, in the VE's \Scripts directory where pip.exe is:

pip freeze

I got the error message

Fatal error in launcher: Unable to create process using '"'

There is no space in my VE path (google that error). Then I tried python -m pip install --upgrade pip and got

Requirement already up-to-date: pip in o:\upsdowns\flask\lib\site-packages

so then I tried

python -m pip freeze

and that worked. I think it might be a path issue in the VE, but I'm OK with this workaround.

I'm adding this here because this page is high up when you google that errormessage. In other words, I didn't make a new question, even though my situation is quite different from the OP's. Possibly even, I got into that situation because I didn't add modules to the virtual environment "properly".

Anyway, I hope it helps some.