Npm (node package manager) helps JavaScript developers focus on the code instead of other — sometimes tedious and repetitive — details. Sometimes, however, you may come across npm errors such as npm command not found.
We will work through how to resolve this error, so you can go back to enjoying all that npm has to offer.
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What is the npm command not found Error?
The Npm command not found error can appear when you install or upgrade npm.
On Windows, the cause of this error could be that a PATH or system variable is not correctly set. The error can also occur if you do not have npm or Node.js installed, have an outdated version, or have permission issues.
Mac users seeing the npm command not found error could be due to missing files on your computer or a permissions issue.
This article addresses those possible reasons. First we cover general causes related to installation, then go into Mac-specific solutions, before addressing how to fix a potential missing PATH variable on Windows.
Check if npm is Installed
The npm command requires npm to be installed on Windows. Npm uses Node.js, so it comes included in your Node.js installation package. To check if you have NOde.js installed type the following in the terminal:
node -v
The -v stands for “version”. Visit the npm site to verify if the version of npm you have installed is the latest version.
You may have accidentally deleted your npm file or moved its location. This can happen more often than you think, especially if you change your PATH on your system.
Even though npm comes with Node.js, they are separate, meaning you can have the latest of one and not of the other, since they may have different update release dates.
If you have node (check with $node -v) and your node commands work, you may need to simply update npm. Updating npm can be done with one line:
npm install npm@latest -g
If you have trouble with this command, you may have to prefix it with sudo:
sudo npm install -g npm@latest
If you are working on your code in an editor, make sure to restart it after you’re done installing or updating.
Windows Solution
You may still see npm command not found because C:\Program Files\nodejs could be missing from your PATH environment variable.
Open global search 🔎 and look up “Environment Variables”.
Choose “Edit system environment variables”.
Click “Environment Variables” in the “Advanced” tab.
In the “System Variables” box, search for Path and edit it to include the path C:\Program Files\nodejs. If you don’t see it there click “New” then add this path. (Note: Depending on your version you may just need to edit and append this path to what’s there by prefixing it with a semicolon. You’ll see the other paths there are also separated by semicolons).
Here is some documentation on the Windows settings and environment variables relating to npm in case you are curious and want to read more about the settings.
Permissions Solution
For permission issues, prefix your terminal commands with sudo to bypass issues. Permission issues can be the cause of program files not being able to be properly downloaded. You can also try the following terminal commands as a last option if all others have not worked out for you, though this may not be an option for you if you are on a shared or work computer. For Mac and Linux users:
This command adjusts the permissions of the npm directory. Chown means change owner, -R means recursively (throughout the files therein), “whoami” grabs your user account name, and the last line is where your node package files are. After running the above command, try the npm command you were attempting again.
Conclusion
After implementing any changes we went through to troubleshoot the “command not found” error, be sure to restart any open code editor or terminal/command prompt. To recap, the suggested solutions we discussed were:
updating npm
checking if node is up to date
fixing the PATH in Windows
changing permissions for node
This article has instructional links on how to uninstall and install npm for Windows or Mac. If you can do this, it may clear any blockers npm is having.
If you want to dive into npm, read this article on npm which includes curated, proven resources for learning more.
When you get the above error, it means that you don't have a package.json file in the directory that you tried running npm start in. This will create a package. json file in the current directory after you complete the inputs.
The main cause of the npm command not found error is that npm is not installed. You can run the command “npm -v” to check whether npm is installed. If not, I recommend you uninstall Node. js and then reinstall node.
The Npm command not found error can appear when you install or upgrade npm. On Windows, the cause of this error could be that a PATH or system variable is not correctly set. The error can also occur if you do not have npm or Node. js installed, have an outdated version, or have permission issues.
Visit the official node. js site https://nodejs.org/en/download/ and click on Windows installer to download the necessary software in your system. The installer contains the NPM package. Based on the system you want to install, choose 32-bit installer or 64-installer and proceed.
To publish and install packages to and from the public npm registry or a private npm registry, you must install Node.js and the npm command line interface using either a Node version manager or a Node installer. We strongly recommend using a Node version manager like nvm to install Node.
There is no difference, since "npm i" is an alias for "npm install". They both do the exact same thing (install or update all the dependencies in your package-lock. json).
npm i: The npm i (or npm install) is used to install all dependencies or devDependencies from a package.json file. npm ci: CI stands for clean install and npm ci is used to install all exact version dependencies or devDependencies from a package-lock.
The error “npm is not recognized as an internal or external command” error may occur because either the npm is not installed or it is not added to the windows path. To resolve this error, the first solution is to install Node. js on Windows as Node. js is equipped with npm by default.
Open up a command prompt and navigate to your calculator directory Run npm init to create a new Node.js project. Use the default answer to every question it asks you (just press "Enter") - don't worry if you don't understand what all the questions mean!
npm is the package manager for the Node JavaScript platform. It puts modules in place so that node can find them, and manages dependency conflicts intelligently.
The npm install command will create a node_modules folder in the current directory (if it doesn't exist already), and download the package to that directory. If you want to install the package and also add it to the dependency list in the package.json file, then you can use --save option - npm install my-package --save.
If the npm or Node. js running on your Windows environment is broken, you can reinstall and get the most out of them. You can use any of the following methods: Reinstalling using a Node version manager.
Type in npm root -g to see what the current path your npm is installed to. Next use npm config set prefix and your npm path will be changed to whatever directory you are currently on.
Scoped packages default to restricted, but you can either publish them as public using npm publish --access=public , or set their access as public using npm access public after the initial publish. You must have privileges to set the access of a package: You are an owner of an unscoped or scoped package.
Downloading a package is very easy. Open the command line interface and tell NPM to download the package you want. Now you have downloaded and installed your first package! NPM creates a folder named "node_modules", where the package will be placed.
npm install simply reads your package. json file, fetches the packages listed there from (usually) https://www.npmjs.com/ , and sometimes engages in the build steps for those packages. So you only have to run npm install when you change your package.json file, and need to fetch new dependencies.
To install a module from npm globally, you'll simply need to use the --global flag when running the install command to have the module install globally, rather than locally (to the current directory). Note: One caveat with global modules is that, by default, npm will install them to a system directory, not a local one.
Visit the official node.js site https://nodejs.org/en/download/ and click on Windows installer to download the necessary software in your system. The installer contains the NPM package. Based on the system you want to install, choose 32-bit installer or 64-installer and proceed.
Search for Environment Variables in the Windows search. "Edit the System environment variables" option will be popped in the result. Open that, select the "Path" and click on edit, then click "New" add your nodeJS Bin path i.e in my machine its installed in c:\programfiles\nodejs\node_modules\npm\bin.
The error “npm is not recognized as an internal or external command” error may occur because either the npm is not installed or it is not added to the windows path. To resolve this error, the first solution is to install Node. js on Windows as Node. js is equipped with npm by default.
To publish and install packages to and from the public npm registry or a private npm registry, you must install Node.js and the npm command line interface using either a Node version manager or a Node installer. We strongly recommend using a Node version manager like nvm to install Node.js and npm.
We can install modules required for a particular project in node.js without npm, the recommended node package manager using yarn. Yarn is a wonderful package manager.
Introduction: My name is Fr. Dewey Fisher, I am a powerful, open, faithful, combative, spotless, faithful, fair person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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