Hey everyone, I’m having trouble with npm after updating Node.js on my Windows 10 machine. I went from version 10.17 to 12.6.1, and now npm won’t run at all. When I try to use it, I get an error saying it can’t find the npm-cli.js file.
I’ve already tried a bunch of things to fix it:
Looked at online solutions and tried them out
Completely removed Node.js, deleted all related folders, restarted my computer, and reinstalled
Followed steps to reinstall npm separately
My Path variables seem to be set up correctly:
System Path: C:\Program Files\nodejs\
User Path: C:\Program Files\nodejs\;C:\Users\{User}\AppData\Roaming\npm
I’m really stuck here. Has anyone run into this issue before? Any ideas on what else I could try to get npm working again? Thanks in advance for any help!
I encountered a similar issue after updating Node.js. One solution that worked for me was to use the Node.js version manager (nvm) for Windows. It allows you to easily switch between Node.js versions without these update headaches.
What I did was first uninstall Node.js completely, then install nvm-windows from GitHub. After that, I used nvm to install and manage different Node.js versions. This approach solved my npm issues and made future updates much smoother, while also allowing the use of different versions for different projects.
If you prefer not to use nvm, you can download the Node.js binary directly from nodejs.org and manually replace the files in your installation directory, which sometimes works when the installer fails to update everything correctly. Remember to restart your terminal after making changes to ensure the new settings take effect.
I’ve been through this nightmare before, and it’s a real pain. One thing that worked for me was manually deleting the npm folder in AppData and then reinstalling npm globally. Here’s what I did:
Navigate to C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Roaming\
Delete the npm folder
Open command prompt as admin
Run ‘npm install -g npm’
This essentially gives you a fresh npm installation. If that doesn’t work, you might want to check if there are any conflicting Node.js installations on your system. Sometimes, remnants of old versions can cause weird issues.
Also, make sure your antivirus isn’t interfering. I once spent hours troubleshooting only to find out my antivirus was blocking npm. Temporarily disabling it might help isolate the problem.
Hope this helps. Let us know if you get it sorted!
man, that sucks. i had similar issues after updating. have u tried clearing npm cache? run ‘npm cache clean --force’ in cmd. if that doesnt work, maybe check ur global npm install. sometimes it gets messed up during updates. good luck!