How do I fix E0583 (file not found for module)?

Put the file where Rust looks: For mod foo; in main.rs or lib.rs. Or point at the file: Rarely needed, but works for odd layouts.

Rust errors / Names, paths and imports

Rust compiler error · checked with rustc 1.99.0

Rust error E0583: file not found for module

Q: What does Rust error E0583 mean?

A mod foo; line tells Rust to load the module from a file, and that file is not where Rust looks.

What it meansA mod foo; line tells Rust to load the module from a file, and that file is not where Rust looks.

What rustc prints

error[E0583]: file not found for module `file_that_doesnt_exist`
 --> main.rs:1:1
  |
1 | mod file_that_doesnt_exist; // error: file not found for module
  | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  |
  = help: to create the module `file_that_doesnt_exist`, create file "file_that_doesnt_exist.rs" or "file_that_doesnt_exist\mod.rs"
  = note: if there is a `mod file_that_doesnt_exist` elsewhere in the crate already, import it with `use crate::...` instead

Real output of rustc 1.99.0 compiling the official example below (2021 edition). Your names and line numbers will differ; the first line is the part to match.

Why it happens

The file is not at src/foo.rs or src/foo/mod.rs (relative to the file that declares it).
Declaring a submodule from src/bar.rs: Rust looks in src/bar/foo.rs, not src/foo.rs.
A typo or a hyphen in the file name (use underscores).

How to fix it

1. Put the file where Rust looks

For mod foo; in main.rs or lib.rs.

src/main.rs      // mod foo;
src/foo.rs       // the module
src/foo/bar.rs   // mod bar; inside foo.rs

2. Or point at the file

Rarely needed, but works for odd layouts.

#[path = "generated/foo.rs"]
mod foo;

Other wordings of this error

file not found for module, to create the module, create file

E0583Names, paths and imports

Activein rustc 1.99.0

8related errors linked below

The compiler team's explanation

A file wasn't found for an out-of-line module.

Erroneous code example:

mod file_that_doesnt_exist; // error: file not found for module

fn main() {}

Please be sure that a file corresponding to the module exists. If you want to use a module named file_that_doesnt_exist, you need to have a file named file_that_doesnt_exist.rs or file_that_doesnt_exist/mod.rs in the same directory.

From rustc --explain E0583 (1.99.0), part of the Rust project, MIT or Apache-2.0. Official page.

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