How to Install `nox` in Python

v2026.4.10 Testing & QA Python >=3.9

Flexible test automation.

Install pip install nox

What is nox?

Flexible test automation.

is a command-line tool that automates testing in multiple Python environments, similar to [tox][]. Unlike tox, Nox uses a standard Python file for configuration:

Nox is designed to be installed globally (not in a project virtual environment), the recommended way of doing this is via [pipx], a tool designed to install python CLI programs whilst keeping them separate from your global or system python.

You can also use [pip][] in your global python:

PyPI page → Author: Alethea Katherine Flowers <me@thea.codes>

Quick Start

Minimal example to get started with nox:

import nox

print(nox.__version__)

Installation

pip (standard)

pip install nox

Virtual environment (recommended)

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate   # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install nox

pip3

pip3 install nox

conda

conda install -c conda-forge nox

Poetry

poetry add nox

Dependencies

Installing nox will also install these packages:

argcomplete attrs colorlog dependency-groups humanize packaging tomli virtualenv virtualenv

Verify the Installation

After installing, confirm the package is available:

python -c "import nox; print(nox.__version__)"

If this prints a version number, installation succeeded. If you see a ModuleNotFoundError, see the errors section below.

Installation Errors

Common errors when installing nox with pip.

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'nox'

Cause: The package is not installed in the current Python environment.

Fix: Run pip install nox. If using a virtual environment, ensure it is activated first.

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'nox' (installed but still failing)

Cause: pip installed the package into a different Python than the one running your script.

Fix: Use python -m pip install nox to install into the interpreter you are running.

ImportError: cannot import name 'X' from 'nox'

Cause: The function or class does not exist in the installed version.

Fix: Check the version with pip show nox and upgrade with pip install --upgrade nox.

pip: command not found

Cause: pip is not in PATH or Python was not added to PATH during installation.

Fix: Try python -m pip install nox. On macOS/Linux try pip3.

PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied

Cause: No write access to the system Python package directory.

Fix: Use a virtual environment, or add --user: pip install --user nox

SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED

Cause: pip cannot verify PyPI's SSL certificate — common behind corporate proxies.

Fix: Try: pip install --trusted-host pypi.org --trusted-host files.pythonhosted.org nox

Recent Releases

Version	Released
`2026.4.10` latest	2026-04-10
`2026.2.9`	2026-02-10
`2025.11.12`	2025-11-12
`2025.10.16`	2025-10-17
`2025.10.14`	2025-10-15

Full release history on PyPI →

Manage nox

Upgrade to latest version

pip install --upgrade nox

Install a specific version

pip install nox==2026.4.10

Uninstall

pip uninstall nox

Check what is installed

pip show nox

Last updated: 2026-04-11 • Data from PyPI

How to Install nox in Python