Answer by alexakarpov for Django Import Error: No module named apps

another possible cause for this is if the Django app in question was created somewhere 'outside' the project root. E.g., executing:

project_root/manage.py startapp search

, I didn't realize that my Django app was created in the current folder, not inside the project root (in my case, named just that, 'project_root', haha). Django conventions dictate that the app, referenced in this case by 'search' in INSTALLED_APPS inside settings.py, should be on the BASE_DIR (project_root in my case).