Import Twilio not Working

The Twilio Python helper library installs as the twilio package, exposing the client at from twilio.rest import Client. When the import "isn't working," Python raises ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'twilio' (or ... 'twilio.rest'). This is an environment/installation problem, not a Twilio API error — and if you're following older tutorials, the import itself may use class names that no longer exist.

What causes "import twilio" to fail?

• The package isn't installed in the interpreter you're running. The most common cause: twilio was installed for a different Python than the one executing your script (e.g. installed with system pip but running inside a virtualenv, Conda env, or a different python3). Per the twilio-python README, the library supports Python 3.7–3.13.
• You never installed it, or installed it --user while running as a different user/service account.
• A local file named twilio.py (or a twilio/ folder) in your working directory shadows the real package, so import twilio imports your file instead and import twilio.rest fails.
• A stale .pyc / __pycache__ from a former twilio.py lingers on the path.
• Outdated import syntax. TwilioRestClient and twilio.TwilioRestException were removed in twilio-python 6.0.0. On a modern install, from twilio.rest import TwilioRestClient will fail even though the package imports fine.

How do I fix "import twilio not working"?

1. Install into the exact interpreter you run. Use the -m pip form so the package lands in the active environment (RealPython and pip both recommend this over a bare pip):

python -m pip install twilio
# or, if your project uses python3 explicitly:
python3 -m pip install twilio

2. Verify it's importable from that same interpreter:

python -c "import twilio; print(twilio.__version__)"

If this prints a version (e.g. 9.x) but your app still fails, your app is running a different Python — check which python, your IDE's configured interpreter, and any venv/Conda activation.

3. Remove name conflicts. Make sure no file named twilio.py exists in your project folder, and clear stale bytecode. Group the alternatives explicitly so the type filter applies correctly to each:

find . \( -name "twilio.py" -o -type d -name "__pycache__" \) -print

4. Use the current import and client syntax. This is the modern, supported pattern (the old sample using twilio.rest.TwilioRestClient, twilio.TwilioRestException, and a print e statement is pre-6.0 / Python 2 and will not run on a current install):

from twilio.rest import Client
from twilio.base.exceptions import TwilioRestException

client = Client(account_sid, auth_token)

try:
    message = client.messages.create(
        body="My Twilio test message",
        to="+14155551234",
        from_="+14155557890",  # a Twilio number you own
    )
    print(message.sid)
except TwilioRestException as e:
    print(e)

Client also reads TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID and TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN from the environment if you call Client() with no arguments, per the twilio-python README.

In notebooks, install into the running kernel with %pip install twilio so it targets the kernel's interpreter rather than the shell's.