# CRITICAL ERROR: The metaphlan executable can not be found. Please check the install

**URL:** <https://forum.biobakery.org/t/critical-error-the-metaphlan-executable-can-not-be-found-please-check-the-install/6913>\
**Category:** HUMAnN\
**Created:** [April 9, 2024, 12:26pm UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/critical-error-the-metaphlan-executable-can-not-be-found-please-check-the-install/6913 "2024-04-09T12:26:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MARTIN\_MIHULA](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.biobakery.org/martin_mihula/32/2815_2.png) [@MARTIN\_MIHULA](https://forum.biobakery.org/u/MARTIN_MIHULA)\
**Post date:** [April 9, 2024, 12:26pm UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/critical-error-the-metaphlan-executable-can-not-be-found-please-check-the-install/6913/1 "2024-04-09T12:26:59Z")

</div>

Dear all,

I’m trying to properly install humann3 using Conda environment. I’ve followed these instructions: [humann3 – The Huttenhower Lab](https://huttenhower.sph.harvard.edu/humann/)

But when I want to run the HUMAnN demo:

`humann -i demo.fastq.gz -o reference/sample_results/`

It doesn’t work and a error message appears:

```auto
Output files will be written to: ~/reference/sample_results
Decompressing gzipped file ...

CRITICAL ERROR: The metaphlan executable can not be found. Please check the install.

```

I didn’t find any suggestion what to do. The test was ok.

Thank you!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![franzosa](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.biobakery.org/franzosa/32/3511_2.png) [@franzosa](https://forum.biobakery.org/u/franzosa)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 6:31pm UTC](https://forum.biobakery.org/t/critical-error-the-metaphlan-executable-can-not-be-found-please-check-the-install/6913/2 "2024-04-11T18:31:08Z")

</div>

Are you sure you have MetaPhlAn installed correctly as well? Are you able to call / run MetaPhlAn outside of HUMAnN?