Kernel error win32api

[lueenavarro]

After launching any notebook, I get the following error.

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\tornado\web.py", line 1699, in _execute
    result = await result
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\tornado\gen.py", line 742, in run
    yielded = self.gen.throw(*exc_info)  # type: ignore
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\notebook\services\sessions\handlers.py", line 72, in post
    type=mtype))
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\tornado\gen.py", line 735, in run
    value = future.result()
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\tornado\gen.py", line 742, in run
    yielded = self.gen.throw(*exc_info)  # type: ignore
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\notebook\services\sessions\sessionmanager.py", line 88, in create_session
    kernel_id = yield self.start_kernel_for_session(session_id, path, name, type, kernel_name)
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\tornado\gen.py", line 735, in run
    value = future.result()
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\tornado\gen.py", line 742, in run
    yielded = self.gen.throw(*exc_info)  # type: ignore
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\notebook\services\sessions\sessionmanager.py", line 101, in start_kernel_for_session
    self.kernel_manager.start_kernel(path=kernel_path, kernel_name=kernel_name)
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\tornado\gen.py", line 735, in run
    value = future.result()
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\tornado\gen.py", line 209, in wrapper
    yielded = next(result)
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\notebook\services\kernels\kernelmanager.py", line 168, in start_kernel
    super(MappingKernelManager, self).start_kernel(**kwargs)
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\jupyter_client\multikernelmanager.py", line 110, in start_kernel
    km.start_kernel(**kwargs)
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\jupyter_client\manager.py", line 240, in start_kernel
    self.write_connection_file()
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\jupyter_client\connect.py", line 476, in write_connection_file
    kernel_name=self.kernel_name
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\jupyter_client\connect.py", line 141, in write_connection_file
    with secure_write(fname) as f:
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Local\Continuum\anaconda3\lib\contextlib.py", line 112, in __enter__
    return next(self.gen)
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\jupyter_core\paths.py", line 404, in secure_write
    win32_restrict_file_to_user(fname)
  File "C:\Users\lnavarro6\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python37\site-packages\jupyter_core\paths.py", line 359, in win32_restrict_file_to_user
    import win32api
ImportError: DLL load failed: The specified procedure could not be found.

[kevin-bates]

Rumors abound there's an installation glitch in the 225 build of pywin32. Have you tried conda install pywin32?

[afvca]

Don't know how you installed pywin32, but you may be missing the system files.

Try downloading a precompiled wheel from here: https://www.lfd.uci.edu/~gohlke/pythonlibs/#pywin32

And install pywin32 system files, cd into your PYTHONPATH, and run python.exe Scripts/pywin32_postinstall.py -install from an elevated command prompt.

[ValentinVerschinin]

Had the same issue and pip uninstall pywin32 and installing it again helped. conda install pywin32 didn't work, however.

[JStuckner]

Can confirm @ValentinVerschinin solution worked. Thanks for trouble shooting this several hours before me!

[Besong]

Thanks @ValentinVerschinin it worked!.

[mcmah309]

According to pywin32 github you must run

pip install pywin32

and after that, you must run

python [environment path]/Scripts/pywin32_postinstall.py -install

After hours this worked for me!

[eren-korkmaz]

According to pywin32 github you must run

pip install pywin32

and after that, you must run

python [environment path]/Scripts/pywin32_postinstall.py -install

After hours this worked for me!

İt worked too

[kbyokin]

According to pywin32 github you must run

pip install pywin32

and after that, you must run

python [environment path]/Scripts/pywin32_postinstall.py -install

After hours this worked for me!

It also worked for me. Cheers bro!

[kevin-bates]

Too many successes - time to close! 😄

[ManuelZ]

The easiest thing for me was to pip uninstall it and then conda install it.

[naveen1973]

Re.: python [environment path]/Scripts/pywin32_postinstall.py -install

How do I find out what I have to type where it states [environment path]?
Do I have to type this in the CMD prompt: "(base) C:\Users\User" ?

[pembeci]

Yes, you need to run it in command prompt and after activating the environment where you did install pywin32. If you are using miniconda and you installed it in base environment it will be:

C:\Users\<USERNAME>\miniconda3\Scripts

if you used another environment first activate it and then try to locate the script in:

C:\Users\<USERNAME>\miniconda3\envs\<ENV_NAME>\Scripts

If you are using virtualenv then try to find the script in that environment's folder.

[naveen1973]

When I go to
"(base) C:\Users\User>"
I type in "cd miniconda" but I am getting this error message:
"The system cannot find the path specified."
What happened there?

[vinodhmano]

conda install pywin32 worked for me. I am using Python 3.8

[johann-petrak]

Why is this bug closed? According to this:
mhammond/pywin32#1507
the problem arises because of the way how Jupyter bundles the library.

I just got this problem after installing jupyter into a brand now Miniconda installagion, creating a Python 3.9 environment for my packages (On Windows 10)

I think it is unacceptable for Windows users to run into the problem of the kernel not working in Jupyter, googling the problem, finding a closed issue, figuring out some installation/environment path on their computer, and then needing to type in a cryptic command in order to make things work for them.

This should get fixed properly.

[kevin-bates]

Thanks @johann-petrak - your point is valid. Rather than re-open this issue, I would suggest a new issue be opened in jupyter_core which is responsible for the pywin32 requirement within the ecosystem.

Please reference your previous comment as to what the issue is. I suspect this will require some conda expertise if I'm understanding the recommendation.

Also, note that Terminal functionality is currently not working in Windows with Python 3.9+ (#5967).

[mjstenbe]

This issue is still valid for the latest version of Anaconda.

[Ilia-Kosenkov]

Don't know how you installed pywin32, but you may be missing the system files.

Try downloading a precompiled wheel from here: https://www.lfd.uci.edu/~gohlke/pythonlibs/#pywin32

And install pywin32 system files, cd into your PYTHONPATH, and run python.exe Scripts/pywin32_postinstall.py -install from an elevated command prompt.

Just want to confirm that this solution did work for my conda environment.

For those unable to find Scripts folder or have no PYTHONPATH

This will likely require an elevated (administrator) prompt
Once you activated your environment, a correct path to python.exe is prepended to your PATH variable.
On Windows, you can locate executables found in PATH directories using the following command:
where.exe python.exe
Please note that if you run it from PowerShell, you have to explicitly type where.exe, as where will resolve to Where-Object, a different utility.
You will get a list of all absolute paths to python.exe, select the first one, like:

C:\tools\miniconda3\envs\my_env\python.exe  

cd to the folder containing python.exe by e.g. copy-pasting part of the path you got from running the previous command.
From there you can run python.exe Scripts/pywin32_postinstall.py -install as-is.

[mtachaudhary]

Faced the same issue and fixed it now.

Please follow these steps:

1. Install pywin32 using conda install pywin32, and
2. Uninstall pywin32 using pip uninstall pywin32

I think the issue is, pip pywin32 was conflicting with conda

[johann-petrak]

Interesting possible workaround but not a fix.

[bosukeme]

I just did pip install pywin32

Then did jupyter notebook again, and it worked

[jvilcan]

Faced the same issue and fixed it now.

Please follow these steps:

1. Install pywin32 using conda install pywin32, and
2. Uninstall pywin32 using pip uninstall pywin32

I think the issue is, pip pywin32 was conflicting with conda

It works for me.

[JEEZzKnight]

No it does not work even after installing the pywin32

when you install conda and then download vscode the kernal dir have been changed in vscode jupyter from anaconda jupyter that why it shows win32api error

you just have to change kernal dir back to conda jupyter notebook

[cgohlke]

FWIW, jupyter/jupyter_core#230 replaces pywin32 with ctypes. No more win32api import errors and works on Python 3.10 and PyPy...

[Arnab1181412]

python [environment path]/Scripts/pywin32_postinstall.py -install

Working Awesome

[EulersNumber]

How can this still be an issue in 2022...? Can't believe annoying bugs like these aren't fixed.

Luckily after banging my head on the wall for a good while by trying all the tens of different proposed solutions, I did the same as @ValentinVerschinin and it worked.

Just annoying that so many people have to deal with this issue even though it has been known for so long.

[cgohlke]

How can this still be an issue in 2022...?

Because the installation of pywin32 using wheels is fundamentally broken and requires manual pre- and/or post-install steps.

Can't believe annoying bugs like these aren't fixed.

The original issue was fixed in jupyter_core 4.8.

Please provide the package versions and a full traceback. There might be packages other than jupyter_core that depend on pywin32 and fail to import if the pywin32 installation is incomplete or corrupted.