Troubleshooting Setup

Ran into a hiccup while building or running Social Media Downloader? No worries — here’s how to fix the most common issue related to PyFiglet fonts when using PyInstaller.

Problem: Missing PyFiglet Fonts¶

If you see an error like this when you run the executable:

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pyfiglet.fonts'

Note

This happens because PyInstaller doesn't automatically bundle the font files that pyfiglet uses internally.

Without these fonts, your fancy ASCII banners won’t show up, and the script will crash on launch. Let’s fix that.

Solution: Manually Include the Font Data¶

Step 1: Generate a `.spec` File¶

Run this command to generate a basic .spec file for your project:

pyi-makespec --onefile --icon=assets/logo.ico smd/downloader.py

This will create a file called downloader.spec.

Step 2: Edit the Spec File¶

Open downloader.spec in your code editor and replace its content with the following:

# -*- mode: python ; coding: utf-8 -*-

from PyInstaller.utils.hooks import collect_data_files

datas = collect_data_files("pyfiglet")

a = Analysis(
    ['smd/downloader.py'],
    pathex=[],
    binaries=[],
    datas=datas,
    hiddenimports=[],
    hookspath=[],
    hooksconfig={},
    runtime_hooks=[],
    excludes=[],
    noarchive=False,
    optimize=0,
)

pyz = PYZ(a.pure)

exe = EXE(
    pyz,
    a.scripts,
    a.binaries,
    a.datas,
    [],
    name='downloader',
    debug=False,
    bootloader_ignore_signals=False,
    strip=False,
    upx=True,
    upx_exclude=[],
    runtime_tmpdir=None,
    console=True,
    disable_windowed_traceback=False,
    argv_emulation=False,
    target_arch=None,
    codesign_identity=None,
    entitlements_file=None,
    icon='assets/logo.ico',
)

What this does:

It tells PyInstaller to explicitly include all the font data from pyfiglet, so your executable has everything it needs to render text art properly.

Step 3: Rebuild Using the `.spec` File¶

Now that your spec file is set up, rebuild the project using:

pyinstaller downloader.spec

This will package the fonts correctly and produce a working binary inside the dist/ folder.

Final Result¶

After building, check inside the dist/ directory. You should now have a fully working standalone executable with no missing font errors — and your sweet ASCII art banners will look just the way they should.

Tip

Want more help customizing your build? Head over to the Build Instructions for extra tips on icons, silent mode, and cleanup options.

Got another error or issue? Feel free to open an issue on GitHub — we’re here to help.