# ImproperlyConfigured("The SECRET\_KEY setting must not be empty.") **URL:** \ **Category:** Using Django\ **Created:** [October 25, 2020, 8:49am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/improperlyconfigured-the-secret-key-setting-must-not-be-empty/4945 "2020-10-25T08:49:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sury072](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@sury072](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/sury072)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 8:49am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/improperlyconfigured-the-secret-key-setting-must-not-be-empty/4945/1 "2020-10-25T08:49:14Z")
File “/opt/miniconda3/lib/python3.7/site-packages/django/conf/ **init**.py”, line 196, in **init** raise ImproperlyConfigured(“The SECRET\_KEY setting must not be empty.”) django.core.exceptions.ImproperlyConfigured: The SECRET\_KEY sett ing must not be empty. I am using an open source project on Git. I have created a ´random´Secret\_key as I expect you don’t leave your Secret:\_key , debug and Database on the git. what i´ve done\_: I found the .env.md and entered the random Secret\_key in the Key Value as it says as was missing awaiting to be copied in. I ran run server but it still says the same error. the next things done: I found the in the Django/conf/global settings Entered there the Secret\_ key as key value as it was missing. I ran the server but it still says the same error. Can anyone advise or this supposed to be for a stack overflow question= Thank you for your advise. ---
**Author:** ![KenWhitesell](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/kenwhitesell/32/280_2.png) [@KenWhitesell](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/KenWhitesell)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2020, 12:13pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/improperlyconfigured-the-secret-key-setting-must-not-be-empty/4945/2 "2020-10-25T12:13:06Z")
It might help if you tell us which Open Source project you’re trying to use.