python venv not activating on run button

[ChenitoAf]

Type: Bug

Dear all,

I have been using python virtual environment in windows for the last 3 years. But when I was back from holiday and noticed that visual studio code got updated as well.
Then somehow the python virutal environment doesn't work any more. The reported error message is "bash: python exe command not found".

But actually the virtual environment is there.

So what I tried is the following:

1. deactivated the virtual environment and re-activated it again. It didn't help.
2. created a new virtual environment and in python interpreter I selected the newly created one. But same result.
3. But if I chose my global python, then it worked.
4. I decided to upgrade python from 3.10 to 3.13 and created a new virtual environment. But all had the same result.

Any idea what could be the cause?

Great thanks in advance!

VS Code version: Code 1.102.3 (488a1f239235055e34e673291fb8d8c810886f81, 2025-07-29T03:00:23.339Z)
OS version: Windows_NT x64 10.0.19045
Modes:

System Info

Item	Value
CPUs	11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-1165G7 @ 2.80GHz (8 x 2803)
GPU Status	2d_canvas: enabled canvas_oop_rasterization: enabled_on direct_rendering_display_compositor: disabled_off_ok gpu_compositing: enabled multiple_raster_threads: enabled_on opengl: enabled_on rasterization: enabled raw_draw: disabled_off_ok skia_graphite: disabled_off video_decode: enabled video_encode: enabled vulkan: disabled_off webgl: enabled webgl2: enabled webgpu: enabled webnn: disabled_off
Load (avg)	undefined
Memory (System)	15.71GB (2.07GB free)
Process Argv	--crash-reporter-id c9a6bac7-e141-4702-8a01-1755dda772ac
Screen Reader	no
VM	0%

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markdown-mermaid	bie	1.28.0
vscode-pandoc	Chr	0.6.2
docker	doc	0.13.0
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vscode-docker	ms-	2.0.0
vscode-language-pack-de	MS-	1.102.2025071609
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debugpy	ms-	2025.10.0
isort	ms-	2025.0.0
python	ms-	2025.10.1
vscode-pylance	ms-	2025.7.1
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csv-to-md-table	pho	0.3.1
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markdowntable	Tak	0.13.0
python-extended-snippets	tus	0.0.1
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[eleanorjboyd]

Hi! Can you try setting "python.useEnvironmentsExtension" to false in your user settings and see if this makes a difference? It may be connected to this: microsoft/vscode-python-environments#581

I will investigate further to get this fixed if it is caused by the new ext

[eleanorjboyd]

quick questions, you are seeing this error message you say when "in python interpreter I selected the newly created one"- which menu is that and how are you getting there? Just helps me follow the exact steps since there are a few ways to do it. Also how did you create your virtual environment (like is it with venv in the terminal?). Finally if you go to your terminal where you created this environment and activate it, does it work as expected? Thanks for the help!

[ChenitoAf]

Hi! Can you try setting "python.useEnvironmentsExtension" to false in your user settings and see if this makes a difference? It may be connected to this: microsoft/vscode-python-environments#581

I will investigate further to get this fixed if it is caused by the new ext

Great thanks for the suggestion.

Yes. After I set it to false, then my virutal environment worked.

[ChenitoAf]

quick questions, you are seeing this error message you say when "in python interpreter I selected the newly created one"- which menu is that and how are you getting there? Just helps me follow the exact steps since there are a few ways to do it. Also how did you create your virtual environment (like is it with venv in the terminal?). Finally if you go to your terminal where you created this environment and activate it, does it work as expected? Thanks for the help!

Reproduction steps:

1. I have set up my workspace.
2. In my workspace, I was just using python -m venv xxxx to create one
3. then I was just using the keyboard combination Ctrl+Shift+P and select python interpreter. Actually here you can see the newly environment is listed and marked as recommended as expected. And on the bottom right menu, I can see that it has chose the one in the environment.
4. since I got the error that python command not found, I just went to the Environment Manager on the side bar and activated different virtual environment there. Confirm with the information on the bottom right menu. But still, I got the same result.

[eleanorjboyd]

This is great info! Sorry you are seeing this problem, would love to get this fixed. Where do you see the error python command not found? Are you trying to open a new terminal or something? When you see the right env in the bottom right menu this means it is getting selected but somehow whatever action you take that triggers python command not found is not getting the right interpreter and knowing what command that is I can go check it out for what might be breaking or if it involves another extension I need to check compatibility on

[ChenitoAf]

This is great info! Sorry you are seeing this problem, would love to get this fixed. Where do you see the error python command not found? Are you trying to open a new terminal or something? When you see the right env in the bottom right menu this means it is getting selected but somehow whatever action you take that triggers python command not found is not getting the right interpreter and knowing what command that is I can go check it out for what might be breaking or if it involves another extension I need to check compatibility on

Sure. No worries.

So basically, I was just clicking the triangle symbol on the top right. (Well, I tried both Run Python File and Run Python File in Dedicated Terminal, but the result was the same.)
The error message python command not found would be shown at the bottom in the terminal.

[eleanorjboyd]

Appreciate the response. My best guess is that the environment is not being activated correctly before run is attempted so the run command which would be something like python script.py is causing an issue. If you click a new terminal, then type "python" does it work and does the environment get activated? If not, check the to make sure python.terminal.activateEnvironment is true (it is true by default). Next can you look at the setting python-envs.terminal.autoActivationType (this will require the environments extension to be enabled), and try toggling that between "command" and "shell startup" to see if that makes a difference?