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isort

isort is a command-line utility and library for Python that automatically sorts and organizes import statements into a consistent, configurable order.

Installation and Setup

Install it from the Python Package Index (PyPI) into a virtual environment:

Windows PowerShell
(venv) PS> py -m pip install isort
(venv) PS> py -m isort --version
Shell
(venv) $ python -m pip install isort
(venv) $ python -m isort --version

A common setup that aligns with Black is:

TOML pyproject.toml
[tool.isort]
profile = "black"
line_length = 88
known_first_party = ["package_name"]
src_paths = ["src"]

Key Features

  • Groups and orders imports by section, such as standard-library, third-party, and local modules.
  • Enforces consistent formatting of single and multi line imports and can combine or split imports as configured.
  • Reads settings from pyproject.toml, setup.cfg, or .isort.cfg, with ready made profiles like black.
  • Provides a check mode and clear exit codes for continuous integration and pre-commit workflows.
  • Supports per-file ignores and skip patterns to fine-tune what gets formatted.

Usage

Sort imports in a file or directory in place:

Shell
$ python -m isort path/to/file.py
$ python -m isort src/ tests/

Check whether imports are correctly sorted without writing changes:

Shell
$ python -m isort --check --diff .

Override or fine-tune behavior on the command line:

Shell
$ python -m isort --profile black --line-length 100 .

By Leodanis Pozo Ramos • Updated Dec. 12, 2025