How to Fix -OpenCV ImportError: numpy.core.multiarray

Last Updated : 19 Oct, 2023

When we are trying to import any libraries sometimes we may face an import error and the error message “ImportError: numpy.core.multiarray failed to import” Then there must be a problem while importing a specific part of the NumPy package. In this article, we will see how to resolve the Import Error issues.

The issue “ImportError: numpy.core.multiarray failed to import” typically happens while importing the cv2 due to opencv is typically compatible with the latest version of numpy:

Python3

import cv2

Output:

ImportError: numpy.core.multiarray failed to import

What causes an Import Error in Python

The error message ImportError: numpy.core.multiarray failed to import indicates that the OpenCV library is unable to import the NumPy library. This can happen for a number of reasons, including:

NumPy is not installed.
NumPy is installed, but it is not the correct version.
NumPy is installed, but it is not compatible with the version of OpenCV that you are using.

How to Fix ImportError in Python

To resolve this error, you can try the following:

Make sure that NumPy is installed. You can install NumPy using a package manager such as pip or conda.
Make sure that NumPy is the correct version. The version of NumPy that you need depends on the version of OpenCV that you are using. You can find the required NumPy version in the OpenCV documentation.
Make sure that NumPy is compatible with the version of OpenCV that you are using. You can check the OpenCV documentation to see if there are any known compatibility issues between the version of NumPy that you are using and the version of OpenCV that you are using.

If all the three cases are not the real cause of this error, then it might be possible because of a corrupted installation. In such cases, it’s always a good idea to uninstall the package itself and reinstall the package again so that we can know this time about whether it was a safe installation or not.

To uninstall and reinstall Numpy, we can give the following command:

pip uninstall numpy
pip install numpy

To uninstall and reinstall opencv, we can give the following command:

pip uninstall opencv-python  
pip install opencv-python

If we’re actually using the outdated version, then it can cause this type of problem because there might have bugs or compatibility issues in the older version.

To update numpy

pip install --upgrade numpy

To Update opencv

pip install --upgrade opencv-python

It’ll update the package we’re using and if remove all the bugs it had previously in the older version.

Some Additional Tips

Here are some additional tips to avoid this error:

When upgrading OpenCV, be sure to upgrade NumPy to the correct version.
When using a pre-built OpenCV package, make sure that the package includes the NumPy dependency.
If you are building OpenCV from source, make sure to install the correct version of NumPy and add it to the OpenCV build dependencies.