Fatal error: Class 'Dotenv\Dotenv' not found in .../Bootstrap/DetectEnvironment.php on line 24

Not sure why i am getting this message:

Fatal error: Uncaught Symfony\Component\Debug\Exception\FatalThrowableError: Class 'Dotenv\Dotenv' not found in /home/vagrant/devbox/devbox.local/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Foundation/Bootstrap/DetectEnvironment.php on line 24

Below is the DetectEnvironment.php code:

<?php

namespace Illuminate\Foundation\Bootstrap;

use Dotenv\Dotenv;
use Dotenv\Exception\InvalidPathException;
use Symfony\Component\Console\Input\ArgvInput;
use Illuminate\Contracts\Foundation\Application;

class DetectEnvironment
{
    /**
     * Bootstrap the given application.
     *
     * @param  \Illuminate\Contracts\Foundation\Application  $app
     * @return void
     */
    public function bootstrap(Application $app)
    {
        if (! $app->configurationIsCached()) {
            $this->checkForSpecificEnvironmentFile($app);

            try {
                (new Dotenv($app->environmentPath(), $app->environmentFile()))->load();
            } catch (InvalidPathException $e) {
                //
            }
        }
    }

My project had been working correctly until I restarted the computer and server. Whenever I go to the site or run a composer or artisan command I get the error above.

I have tried various solutions that I have found but none have worked. This includes:

• specifically adding vlucas/phpdotenv to the composer file (it already existed in the vendor file structure, but added it to make sure)
• running composer update and composer dumpautoload
• creating a new .env file

Creating a new laravel project works, but I really don't want to have to do that (there must be an easy explanation/fix for this).

Similar issues as listed in, but neither have answers that work for me:

• PHP Fatal error: Class 'Dotenv' not found in
• Fatal error: Class 'Dotenv\Dotenv' not found in

I am using the latest Laravel version and running it on Homestead.

Any guidance is greatly appreciated!

via Chebli Mohamed