How to Install `pytest-cov` in Python

v7.1.0 Testing & QA Python >=3.9

Pytest plugin for measuring coverage.

Install pip install pytest-cov

What is pytest-cov?

Pytest plugin for measuring coverage.

This plugin provides coverage functionality as a pytest plugin. Compared to just using `` this plugin does some extras:

Automatic erasing and combination of .coverage files and default reporting. Support for detailed coverage contexts (add `` to have the full test name including parametrization as the context). Xdist support: you can use all of pytest-xdist's features including remote interpreters and still get coverage. Consistent pytest behavior. If you run `` (CWD will be in it, unlike when running ``).

PyPI page → Author: Marc Schlaich <marc.schlaich@gmail.com>

Quick Start

Minimal example to get started with pytest-cov:

import pytest_cov

print(pytest_cov.__version__)

Installation

pip (standard)

pip install pytest-cov

Virtual environment (recommended)

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

pip3

pip3 install pytest-cov

conda

conda install -c conda-forge pytest-cov

Poetry

poetry add pytest-cov

Dependencies

Installing pytest-cov will also install these packages:

coverage[toml] pluggy pytest

Verify the Installation

After installing, confirm the package is available:

python -c "import pytest_cov; print(pytest_cov.__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 pytest-cov with pip.

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pytest_cov'

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

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

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pytest_cov' (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 pytest-cov to install into the interpreter you are running.

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

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

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

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 pytest-cov. 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 pytest-cov

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 pytest-cov

Recent Releases

Version	Released
`7.1.0` latest	2026-03-21
`7.0.0`	2025-09-09
`6.3.0`	2025-09-06
`6.2.1`	2025-06-12
`6.2.0`	2025-06-11

Full release history on PyPI →

Manage pytest-cov

Upgrade to latest version

pip install --upgrade pytest-cov

Install a specific version

pip install pytest-cov==7.1.0

Uninstall

pip uninstall pytest-cov

Check what is installed

pip show pytest-cov

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

How to Install pytest-cov in Python