diff --git a/Modules/getpath.py b/Modules/getpath.py
index f84e6e8afaf62c..3a13bfdf491a14 100644
--- a/Modules/getpath.py
+++ b/Modules/getpath.py
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ def search_up(prefix, *landmarks, test=isfile):
     # executable path was provided in the config.
     real_executable = executable
 
-if not executable and program_name:
+if not executable and program_name and ENV_PATH:
     # Resolve names against PATH.
     # NOTE: The use_environment value is ignored for this lookup.
     # To properly isolate, launch Python with a full path.