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For a Windows-created virtual environment, run source .venv/Scripts/activate in Git Bash, then verify which interpreter the shell is using. If the environment does not activate or Python still points somewhere unexpected, check the environment’s location and layout, command lookup, VS Code terminal behavior, and whether a Windows program is receiving a Git Bash path.
Set up and verify a Windows virtual environment in Git Bash
Git Bash provides a Bash-like shell within Git for Windows; using Bash commands does not turn a Windows Python installation into a POSIX one. A Windows-created virtual environment uses a Scripts directory, while a POSIX environment uses bin. The activation command must match both the environment layout and the shell (Python venv documentation; PyPA installation guide).
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From the project directory, create the environment with
py -m venv .venv. Thepylauncher is the Windows-oriented command shown here. -
In Git Bash, activate it with
source .venv/Scripts/activate. If your environment has another name or location, substitute that path. Use forward slashes in the Git Bash path.Quick wins for a faster PC:
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Check command lookup and the interpreter itself in the same terminal session:
command -v python python -c "import sys; print(sys.executable); print(sys.prefix); print(sys.base_prefix); print(sys.prefix != sys.base_prefix)"The final expression should print
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If the activation file cannot be found
First confirm that Git Bash is in the project directory containing the environment. Then check the environment name and list its scripts:
pwd
ls .venv/ScriptsA Windows-created venv normally has its activation script under Scripts. If the environment was created on a POSIX system, its activation script is instead under bin; that is a different layout, not a reason to rename directories. Python documents the platform-specific layouts and activation commands (Python venv documentation).
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If the prompt changes but Python is still the wrong one
A changed prompt is a visual cue, not confirmation that the expected executable wins command lookup. Use command -v python and inspect sys.executable and the prefixes from the verification command above. The interpreter path should point into the project’s .venv, and sys.prefix != sys.base_prefix should be true for that process.
If it does not, inspect PATH ordering in the active shell. Git for Windows’ wrapper changes PATH to put Git’s own directories first, and pyenv-win documents PATH priority as one reason a different Python version may be selected. After changing user-level PATH, start a fresh prompt and check again. Do not rely on python --version alone: the version does not identify the executable’s location (Git for Windows wrapper documentation; pyenv-win FAQ).
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If a Windows command receives a mangled path
Git Bash runs in an MSYS-derived environment, where Unix-style and native Windows paths can interact differently. MSYS2 documents automatic conversion of arguments that look like Unix paths when they are passed to native executables. This is relevant to Git Bash’s MSYS lineage, but does not establish that every Git for Windows setup converts every argument the same way.
Identify which program consumes the path before changing conversion behavior. When a native Windows tool specifically needs Windows path syntax, convert deliberately with cygpath -w <path>; use cygpath -u <path> for Unix form. Avoid disabling conversion globally as a first fix, since other commands may depend on it (MSYS2 filesystem paths documentation).
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If deactivate is missing in VS Code
This can be a VS Code integrated-terminal behavior rather than a broken interpreter. The VS Code Python extension wiki describes configurations in which its terminal activation approach does not run the ordinary venv activation script, so the usual shell deactivate function is not registered. The wiki, last edited in 2023, documents adding a supplied hook to a Bash initialization file or setting python.terminal.activateEnvironment to false and reopening the terminal. Treat those as version- and configuration-specific options, not universal current instructions; check the extension’s behavior in your installation. Python’s standard activation mechanism normally provides deactivate (VS Code Python extension wiki; Python venv documentation).
If the project or environment was moved
Recreate the venv at its new location and reinstall dependencies from the project’s requirements file or other dependency manifest. Python warns that scripts installed in a venv can contain absolute interpreter paths, so a virtual environment is generally not portable. Copying or relocating .venv is not a dependable repair (Python venv documentation).
Activation is optional
Activation mainly adjusts shell state, including PATH, so commands such as python resolve to the environment conveniently. If activation is troublesome, you can run the venv’s interpreter directly from Git Bash, for example .venv/Scripts/python.exe -c "import sys; print(sys.executable)". This checks or runs that interpreter without depending on a shell activation hook. Use the path appropriate to the environment’s actual location and layout (Python venv documentation).
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