How To Fix Python Error Certificate Verify Failed: Unable To Get Local Issuer Certificate In Mac OS

When I run python code in mac os, I meet a certificate verify failed error like this ssl.SSLCertVerificationError: [SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED] certificate verify failed: unable to get local issuer certificate (_ssl.c:1056). This error confused me a lot of time. And after googling the error, I finally find the solution to fix it, below are the steps.

1. Fix Certificate Verify Failed: Unable To Get Local Issuer Certificate Error Steps.

Open mac os finder, then click Applications —> Python 3.7 folder to expand it. Your python may have a different version. You can find the Install Certificates.command program in the Python 3.7 folder.

Double click the Install Certificates.command file to run it. It will open another popup terminal window and show below command execution output text.

Last login: Mon Jun 24 15:53:52 on ttys002
/Applications/Python\ 3.7/Install\ Certificates.command ; exit;
songs-MacBook-Pro:~ songzhao$ /Applications/Python\ 3.7/Install\ Certificates.command ; exit;
 -- pip install --upgrade certifi
Requirement already up-to-date: certifi in /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.7/lib/python3.7/site-packages (2019.6.16)
 -- removing any existing file or link
 -- creating symlink to certifi certificate bundle
 -- setting permissions
 -- update complete
logout
Saving session...
...copying shared history...
...saving history...truncating history files...
...completed.

[Process completed]

Close the popup window when the command runs completely successfully. Now run the python code again, the Certificate Verify Failed Error will disappear.

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Sriram

How to fix a similar thing on a windows machine? I am trying to install some packages and it’s giving me the same error.

Jackie Li

My python script use urllib.request package to retrieve a CSV file from a website. And I run the script on macOS Mojave with Python 3.7.

The CSV file can be retrieved by both HTTPS and HTTP protocol URL, and when I use HTTPS protocol URL, this error occurred. And when I use HTTP protocol URL the error disappear.

I know the HTTP protocol does not check the SSL certificate, maybe this avoid the error occurred with HTTPS protocol. So I found this article and the solution can fix my problem.

But I do not know why it behaves different between HTTP and HTTPS protocol. I really want to find what does the Install\ Certificates.command program do at the back-end when I run it.

Can anybody give me an answer? Thanks a lot.

Nickie

Thank you so much for this easy yet super helpful fix.

bank

oh my god such a simple fix for such a complicated error message! XD your guide really helped a lot. thank you so much!