# Python error: Failed to import encodings module

**URL:** <https://forum.cursor.com/t/python-error-failed-to-import-encodings-module/123347>\
**Category:** Bug Reports\
**Created:** [July 28, 2025, 3:58am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/python-error-failed-to-import-encodings-module/123347 "2025-07-28T03:58:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![davena24424](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/davena24424/32/73445_2.png) [@davena24424](https://forum.cursor.com/u/davena24424)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2025, 3:58am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/python-error-failed-to-import-encodings-module/123347/1 "2025-07-28T03:58:25Z")

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### Describe the Bug

Could not find platform independent libraries   
Could not find platform dependent libraries \<exec\_prefix\>  
Python path configuration:  
PYTHONHOME = (not set)  
PYTHONPATH = (not set)  
program name = ‘/opt/cursor-bin/cursor-bin.AppImage’  
isolated = 0  
environment = 1  
user site = 1  
safe\_path = 0  
import site = 1  
is in build tree = 0  
stdlib dir = ‘/install/lib/python3.11’  
sys.\_base\_executable = ‘/opt/cursor-bin/cursor-bin.AppImage’  
sys.base\_prefix = ‘/install’  
sys.base\_exec\_prefix = ‘/install’  
sys.platlibdir = ‘lib’  
sys.executable = ‘/opt/cursor-bin/cursor-bin.AppImage’  
sys.prefix = ‘/install’  
sys.exec\_prefix = ‘/install’  
sys.path = [  
‘/install/lib/python311.zip’,  
‘/install/lib/python3.11’,  
‘/install/lib/python3.11/lib-dynload’,  
]  
Fatal Python error: init\_fs\_encoding: failed to get the Python codec of the filesystem encoding  
Python runtime state: core initialized  
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named ‘encodings’

### Steps to Reproduce

I just downloaded the latest cursor from arch. This only happens when i run the appimage cursor, when i run the extracted cursor this doesn’t happen?

### Operating System

Linux

### Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)

Version: 1.3.3  
VSCode Version: 1.99.3  
Commit: e589175333a2d938c3d944f9bf0993155e655e70  
Date: 2025-07-26T19:23:06.812Z  
Electron: 34.5.1  
Chromium: 132.0.6834.210  
Node.js: 20.19.0  
V8: 13.2.152.41-electron.0  
OS: Linux x64 6.15.8-arch1-1

### Does this stop you from using Cursor

Yes - Cursor is unusable

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![sanjeed5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/sanjeed5/32/9610_2.png) [@sanjeed5](https://forum.cursor.com/u/sanjeed5)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2025, 6:14pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/python-error-failed-to-import-encodings-module/123347/2 "2025-08-18T18:14:08Z")

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Thanks for the report! Please update to the latest version (1.4.5) and retest. Please let us know, if the issue persists after updating.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/system/32/99069_2.png) [@system](https://forum.cursor.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2025, 6:14pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/python-error-failed-to-import-encodings-module/123347/3 "2025-09-09T18:14:13Z")

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