How to fix Python Pillow pip install exception: RequiredDependencyException: jpeg

Problem:

When trying to install pillow such as using

pip install Pillow

you see an error log like

      running build_ext
      
      
      The headers or library files could not be found for jpeg,
      a required dependency when compiling Pillow from source.
      
      Please see the install instructions at:
         https://pillow.readthedocs.io/en/latest/installation.html
      
      Traceback (most recent call last):
        File "/tmp/pip-install-_g5fa7ox/pillow_7cb18c0d6bec468e8844184b98c8bf45/setup.py", line 989, in <module>
          setup(
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/__init__.py", line 87, in setup
          return distutils.core.setup(**attrs)
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/_distutils/core.py", line 148, in setup
          return run_commands(dist)
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/_distutils/core.py", line 163, in run_commands
          dist.run_commands()
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/_distutils/dist.py", line 967, in run_commands
          self.run_command(cmd)
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/dist.py", line 1214, in run_command
          super().run_command(command)
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/_distutils/dist.py", line 986, in run_command
          cmd_obj.run()
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/command/install.py", line 68, in run
          return orig.install.run(self)
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/_distutils/command/install.py", line 670, in run
          self.run_command('build')
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/_distutils/cmd.py", line 313, in run_command
          self.distribution.run_command(command)
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/dist.py", line 1214, in run_command
          super().run_command(command)
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/_distutils/dist.py", line 986, in run_command
          cmd_obj.run()
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/_distutils/command/build.py", line 136, in run
          self.run_command(cmd_name)
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/_distutils/cmd.py", line 313, in run_command
          self.distribution.run_command(command)
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/dist.py", line 1214, in run_command
          super().run_command(command)
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/_distutils/dist.py", line 986, in run_command
          cmd_obj.run()
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/command/build_ext.py", line 79, in run
          _build_ext.run(self)
        File "/home/uli/.pypy3-virtualenv/lib/pypy3.9/site-packages/setuptools/_distutils/command/build_ext.py", line 339, in run
          self.build_extensions()
        File "/tmp/pip-install-_g5fa7ox/pillow_7cb18c0d6bec468e8844184b98c8bf45/setup.py", line 804, in build_extensions
          raise RequiredDependencyException(f)
      RequiredDependencyException: jpeg
      
      During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:
      
      Traceback (most recent call last):
        File "<string>", line 2, in <module>
        File "<pip-setuptools-caller>", line 34, in <module>
        File "/tmp/pip-install-_g5fa7ox/pillow_7cb18c0d6bec468e8844184b98c8bf45/setup.py", line 1009, in <module>
          raise RequiredDependencyException(msg)
      RequiredDependencyException:
      
      The headers or library files could not be found for jpeg,
      a required dependency when compiling Pillow from source.
      
      Please see the install instructions at:
         https://pillow.readthedocs.io/en/latest/installation.html
      
      
      [end of output]
  
  note: This error originates from a subprocess, and is likely not a problem with pip.
error: legacy-install-failure

× Encountered error while trying to install package.
╰─> Pillow

Solution

Pillow needs a buch of libraries to be installed in order to work properly. Use the following command from the official Pillow website on Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install cmake libtiff5-dev libjpeg8-dev libopenjp2-7-dev zlib1g-dev libfreetype6-dev liblcms2-dev libwebp-dev tcl8.6-dev tk8.6-dev python3-tk libharfbuzz-dev libfribidi-dev libxcb1-dev

or check out the installation guide for commands for other operating systems.