What Causes the “npm command not found” Error
Even though the problem happens on all major operating systems, the reasons for the mistake are very consistent. The appearance of the “npm command not found” problem can be caused by a variety of factors. The following are some of the common prevalent reasons:
- The npm package manager is not installed on your PC: When you install Node.js on Windows, the npm package should be installed automatically. Nonetheless, if you go with a custom installation of Node.js, there is a chance you did not choose the npm package manager. When it comes to Linux distributions, the npm manager does not usually install automatically, therefore, you may get the “npm command not found” error as well.
- Improper configuration of the PATH and several system variables: The issue might arise if the PATH and several system variables are not correctly configured while installing them. This occurs when you do not pick the “Add to PATH” option during custom installation
- Lacking permissions: In most cases, the permissions for your npm directory must be adjusted in Linux and macOS. A lack of permission can easily prevent the npm command from being run.
- Your Node.js being out of date: An outdated Node.js can potentially lead to the npm package manager failing.
Fix npm command not found error on Windows
One of the most commonly used operating systems is Windows; therefore, I will start this tutorial on Windows. These are some of the methods you can use to fix this problem:
1. Checking if npm and Node.js have been installed as Expected
However, before proceeding with any troubleshooting, ensure that the npm and Node.js packages have been installed correctly. Install them if they aren’t already. First, you need to search PowerShell and run it as admin. After this, run these commands to see if they will give you the appropriate version number:
Npm -VNode -V
If both commands do report their version numbers, this shows that the npm and Node.js packages have been installed on your PC. However, if you get an error after running these commands, this is an indication that these packages have not been installed and that you need to download the installer for your Windows PC. Then run it and follow the on-screen instructions to install both packages. Instead of performing a bespoke installation, using the automated installation option when running the installer is an excellent choice.
2. Checking PATH and System Variables
As we said earlier, if PATH and system variables are not set as expected, obviously this error will occur. Therefore, you need to find out if both PATH and system variables for Node.js have been installed as expected, and this is how you do it: Step 1: Search for environment variables and then open Edit the system environment variables from the results as shown below. Step 2: After clicking on that, head to the Advanced tab, and then click on Environment Variables. This is shown below: Step 3: Click on Path in the System variables section, and then on Edit as shown below: Step 4: Find the C:\Program Files\node.js. If this path does exist, you’re in good shape, however, if it isn’t there, you will have to make one. Also Read:
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Step 5: To make a new path, select New, add a variable name, and enter C:\Program Files\node.js as the Variable value. Step 6: Finally, press the OK button. All this is shown below:
3. Updating Your Node.js
Sometimes, the preceding two workarounds might not work for you, therefore, you need to try updating your Node.js to the most recent version. To do this, you will need to follow the following steps: Step 1: First, you need to search for PowerShell and then run it as admin. Step 2: This should be followed by running these commands in PowerShell to upgrade your Node.js and npm: These commands will automatically update your Node.js and npm packages. Moreover, you may use the node -V command to determine whether or not the new version of Node.js is installed.
Fix npm command not found Error on Linux
Linux is utilized by many programmers for program development and coding. There are other Linux versions available, however, Ubuntu is among the most popular versions. If you are getting the “npm command not found” error on your Linux-based Ubuntu system, here is how to solve it.
1. Installing Node.js and npm packages
On Ubuntu, installing Node.js and npm is straightforward and requires a few commands. To achieve this, this tutorial will give you a step-by-step explanation for installing Node.js and npm on your Ubuntu PC. Step 1: First, you need to open the terminal by pressing CTRL+ALT+T. Also, you can use the Activities Menu and click on Terminal Emulator. Step 2: This is followed by typing the following commands: This starts the Node.js and npm installation process. To check their versions and validate the installation, you can use the node -version and npm – version commands.
2. Check for PATH and System Variables
You have now validated that Node.js and npm have been installed on your PC, however, if this problem persists, you need to check the PATH and system variables. To do this, you can follow the following steps: Step 1: Open the terminal by pressing CTRL+ALT+T or through the Activities Menu. Step 2: You need to then enter npm command to see the npm commands’ path. This needs to result in usr/bin/npm. Step 3: Check the /etc/environment file which should also result in a similar path as the npm command results. To achieve this, run the cat/etc/environment command. Step 4: If this produces similar path results, it means you are okay, however, if it fails, you need to include the npm path. Step 5: You will be required to enter vi /etc/environment to edit the /etc/environment folder. Step 6: With this, add a colon at the end of the environmental file, and the npm path from the second step. The path file should conclude with the phrase ‘bin’ and the path should come before the conclusion of the quotations. Step 7: Lastly, you need to enter source /etc/environment in order to reload the changed file.
3. Granting User Permissions
Linux allows its users to have complete control over application permissions. As a result, there is a potential that your Node.js and npm do not have permission. To undo this, you can use these steps to resolve the permissions problem: Step 1: Open the terminal by pressing CTRL+ALT+T or through the Activities Menu. Step 2: This should be followed by typing the following command to grant permission: sudo chown -R $(whoami):admin /usr/local/lib/node_modules/ After this, you can run the npm command to see if the problem persists.
4. Updating Node.js
Updating Node.js to the most recent version ensures that there are no incompatibilities. In Linux, follow these steps to upgrade your Node.js: Step 1: Open your terminal by pressing CTRL+ALT+T or through the Activities Menu. Step 2: This should be followed by running this command to clear any cache: sudo npm cache clean -f Step 3: Enter this command after this: sudo npm install [email protected] -g This starts the process of updating. After updating, you can confirm the version by typing npm -version
Fix npm command not found Error on macOS
Apple computers are also commonly used for program development and coding. As a result, one may get the “npm command not found” error on his personal computer running on macOS. However, this tutorial will guide you on how you can overcome this problem. To do this, you can use one of these methods:
1. Installing Node.js and npm
Installing Node.js and npm using Homebrew is quite straightforward, and I strongly advise you to have it installed on your PC. Here’s how to set up Homebrew, Node.js and npm on your PC: Step 1: From the Launchpad, open the Terminal by going to the Dock. Step 2: To install Homebrew, type these commands. Step 3: After installing Homebrew, enter these commands: Step 4: These commands will install Homebrew, Node.js, and npm. You may test the installation by typing node -v and npm -v into the terminal. Check to see whether the “npm command not found” error has been solved. If you do not feel comfortable installing Node.js through the terminal, you may use the Node.js installer for macOS.
2. Checking Path and System Variables
If you are trying to check the PATH and system variables in your system you need to follow these procedures: Step 1: From the launchpad in the Dock, open Terminal. Step 2: Type in the command echo $PATH to view your PATH variable. Step 3: Type npm get prefix to see if the resulting path is similar to the previous one. The most likely common path that will result is /usr/local/bin. Step 4: If the prefix is not found in the PATH variable, it must be added. You need to run this command to establish the PATH: Make sure that you do replace [prefix] with the value you got after running the npm get prefix command. Step 5: Finally, run this command: source ~/.bash_profile and check if the “npm command not found” error has been fixed.
3. Granting User Permissions
macOS, just like Linux distributions, is concerned about permissions. As a result, you may need to ensure that the necessary permissions are provided. To do this, follow these steps: Step 1: From Launchpad, open Terminal. Step 2: Then type the following command and then press Enter. Step 3: After this, run the npm command and check if the error has been solved.
4. Updating Node.js and npm
If you’ve already installed Homebrew to acquire Node.js and npm, upgrading them will be a breeze. However, if you don’t have it or another package manager like N or NVM, you may get the newest Node.js installation for macOS from the Node.js website. If you are using Homebrew, just open Terminal and run the brew update node command. To verify this update, run node -V and npm -V commands.
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