# Import hail error: TypeError: an integer is required (got type bytes)

**URL:** https://discuss.hail.is/t/import-hail-error-typeerror-an-integer-is-required-got-type-bytes/1603
**Category:** Hail Query & hailctl
**Created:** [August 24, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://discuss.hail.is/t/import-hail-error-typeerror-an-integer-is-required-got-type-bytes/1603 "2020-08-24T16:41:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![lilliank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@lilliank](https://discuss.hail.is/u/lilliank)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://discuss.hail.is/t/import-hail-error-typeerror-an-integer-is-required-got-type-bytes/1603/1 "2020-08-24T16:41:33Z")

</div>

Hello,  
I followed the instructions on this website to install Hail: [https://hail.is/docs/0.2/install/macosx.html](https://hail.is/docs/0.2/install/macosx.html)

In ipython3, I try “import hail” and I get the error message on the bottom.

I tried pip installing table and pyspark, but the same error occurred. I am running on MacOS 10.12.6.

Thanks for your help!

```auto
In [1]: import hail
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TypeError Traceback (most recent call last)
<ipython-input-1-e24d842d2b9a> in <module>
----> 1 import hail

~/miniconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/hail/ __init__.py in <module>
     29 # F401 '.expr.*' imported but unused
     30 # E402 module level import not at top of file
---> 31 from .table import Table, GroupedTable, asc, desc # noqa: E402
     32 from .matrixtable import MatrixTable, GroupedMatrixTable # noqa: E402
     33 from .expr import * # noqa: F401,F403,E402

~/miniconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/hail/table.py in <module>
      2 import itertools
      3 import pandas
----> 4 import pyspark
      5 from typing import Optional, Dict, Callable
      6

~/miniconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/pyspark/ __init__.py in <module>
     49
     50 from pyspark.conf import SparkConf
---> 51 from pyspark.context import SparkContext
     52 from pyspark.rdd import RDD, RDDBarrier
     53 from pyspark.files import SparkFiles

~/miniconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/pyspark/context.py in <module>
     29 from py4j.protocol import Py4JError
     30
---> 31 from pyspark import accumulators
     32 from pyspark.accumulators import Accumulator
     33 from pyspark.broadcast import Broadcast, BroadcastPickleRegistry

~/miniconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/pyspark/accumulators.py in <module>
     95 import socketserver as SocketServer
     96 import threading
---> 97 from pyspark.serializers import read_int, PickleSerializer
     98
     99

~/miniconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/pyspark/serializers.py in <module>
     69 xrange = range
     70
---> 71 from pyspark import cloudpickle
     72 from pyspark.util import _exception_message
     73

~/miniconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/pyspark/cloudpickle.py in <module>
    143
    144
--> 145 _cell_set_template_code = _make_cell_set_template_code()
    146
    147

~/miniconda3/lib/python3.8/site-packages/pyspark/cloudpickle.py in _make_cell_set_template_code()
    124 )
    125 else:
--> 126 return types.CodeType(
    127 co.co_argcount,
    128 co.co_kwonlyargcount,

TypeError: an integer is required (got type bytes)

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![tpoterba](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discuss.hail.is/tpoterba/32/61_2.png) [@tpoterba](https://discuss.hail.is/u/tpoterba)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2020, 4:43pm UTC](https://discuss.hail.is/t/import-hail-error-typeerror-an-integer-is-required-got-type-bytes/1603/2 "2020-08-24T16:43:40Z")

</div>

Hail can only be run on Python versions \>= 3.6 and \< 3.8, due to the dependency on Pyspark which can’t run on Python 3.8. If you try with a Python 3.7 installation things should work.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![lilliank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@lilliank](https://discuss.hail.is/u/lilliank)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://discuss.hail.is/t/import-hail-error-typeerror-an-integer-is-required-got-type-bytes/1603/3 "2020-08-24T19:50:25Z")

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Thank you!

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![johnc1231](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discuss.hail.is/johnc1231/32/286_2.png) [@johnc1231](https://discuss.hail.is/u/johnc1231)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2021, 2:10pm UTC](https://discuss.hail.is/t/import-hail-error-typeerror-an-integer-is-required-got-type-bytes/1603/4 "2021-09-30T14:10:34Z")

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Note that this is no longer accurate. Newer versions of hail now support all Python versions \>= 3.6.