Why isn't Node Version Manager (NVM) recognized on Windows?

Question

I am trying to downgrade my version of node

I ran:

npm install nvm

and I exported the bin folder to my Windows path variable,

C:\Program Files (x86)\nodejs\node_modules\npm\bin

but I still get:

'nvm' is not recognized as a an internal or external command.

Should I be adding another path to my path variable?

using `scoop`: https://medium.com/around-the-app-in-365-days/setting-up-a-pc-63409ee7ab33 — XoXo, Sep 13 '19 at 12:04

score 122 · Accepted Answer · edited Oct 25 '21 at 09:30

122

nvm was designed for Linux. nvmw, which is completely different, broke around node v0.10.30. Try NVM for Windows.

edited Oct 25 '21 at 09:30

urig

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answered Oct 29 '14 at 23:30

Corey

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If we uninstall node js while install nvmw then how nodejs will work afterward? Please guide. Do we need to reinstall nodejs? – Always_a_learner Apr 24 '18 at 13:02
Corey I have intsalled nvmw and run nvm install 9.10 to install node version 9.10. now I have path C:\Users\simer\AppData\Roaming\nvm\v9.10.0 and C:\Users\simer\AppData\Roaming\nvm\v9.10.0\node_modules\npm node and npm both path are not working and not recognized as command. Please help. – Always_a_learner Apr 24 '18 at 13:16
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@Simer - these should be written out as new questions. Before you do do, check the closed issues at github.com/coreybutler/nvm-windows because there are several answers to your second question. – Corey Apr 26 '18 at 02:59
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FWIW, there is also one called [`nodist`](https://github.com/nullivex/nodist). I haven't tried it but in the past have run into problems with `nvm-windows` related to needing to run as administrator, having paths with spaces, using shells other than `cmd.exe`, etc. Though, just now I see that Corey's putting some TLC into this again (automated releases and such), so perhaps those are about to become history. – jacobq Sep 27 '19 at 22:13
For future reference: NVM for Windows does not support `.nvmrc` files, and the [developer explicitly stated](https://github.com/coreybutler/nvm-windows/issues/128#issuecomment-184858936) in one of the issues that he won't accept any PRs on that regard either. – starikcetin Dec 16 '20 at 21:09
See https://github.com/coreybutler/nvm-windows/issues/190 for how I intend to enable nvmrc-like capabilities using hooks. This will be part of "rt" (the successor to NVM4W that I'm working on... see https://github.com/coreybutler/nvm-windows/discussions/565) – Corey Dec 16 '20 at 21:31

score 107 · Answer 2 · edited Aug 01 '22 at 13:48

107

NVM can be used to manage various node version :

Step1: Download NVM for Windows
Step2: Choose nvm-setup.zip
Step3: Unzip & click on installer.
Step4: Check if nvm properly installed, In new command prompt type nvm
Step5: Install node js using nvm : nvm install <version> : The version can be a node.js version or "latest" for the latest stable version
Step6: check node version - node -v
Step7(Optional)If you want to install another version of node js - Use STEP 5 with different version.
Step8: Check list node js version - nvm list
Step9: If you want to use specific node version do - nvm use <version>

edited Aug 01 '22 at 13:48

Corey

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answered Apr 06 '20 at 13:03

Ritu Gupta

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important point to note: nvm command is recognized in powershell/cmd in administrator mode only – Akshay Vijay Jain Aug 25 '20 at 00:41
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node is not recognized after installing with nvm. What can be the issue? – Nouman Ahsan May 24 '21 at 10:27
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After installation, Please use freshly opened command prompt. – Ritu Gupta May 24 '21 at 16:40
in Windows 11 Pro, `nvm` command is recognized in powershell/cmd in non-elevated cmd, and we can install new versions; but for `nvm use `, it is necessary to be elevated as admin – Marcelo Scofano Diniz May 25 '22 at 00:12

Shrinivas Kalangutkar · Answer 3 · 2020-08-14T07:03:54.523

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NVM Installation & usage on Windows

Below are the steps for NVM Installation on Windows:

NVM stands for node version manager, which will help to switch between node versions while also allowing to work with multiple npm versions.

Install nvm setup.
Use command nvm list to check list of installed node versions.
Example: Type nvm use 6.9.3 to switch versions.

For more info

edited Aug 14 '20 at 07:03

answered Dec 10 '18 at 07:20

Shrinivas Kalangutkar

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The link is no longer available. – Felix Scheffer Feb 07 '20 at 13:58

score 6 · Answer 4 · answered May 04 '20 at 15:02

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As an node manager alternative you can use Volta from LinkedIn.

answered May 04 '20 at 15:02

Claudiu

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score 3 · Answer 5 · answered Jun 26 '19 at 15:44

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I created a universal nvm that works on both Unix (bash) and Windows, base on another simple nvm.

It doesn't need admin on Windows, but requires PowerShell 4+ and the right to execute scripts.

https://www.npmjs.com/package/@jchip/nvm#installation

answered Jun 26 '19 at 15:44

Joel Chen

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the only one that worked for me without admin rights. Would love to see the library keeping on support – leachim Oct 05 '21 at 13:35

score 2 · Answer 6 · answered Dec 10 '19 at 11:01

The first thing that we need to do is install NVM.

Uninstall existing version of node since we won’t be using it anymore
Delete any existing nodejs installation directories. e.g. “C:\Program Files\nodejs”) that might remain. NVM’s generated symlink will not overwrite an existing (even empty) installation directory.
Delete the npm install directory at C:\Users[Your User]\AppData\Roaming\npm We are now ready to install nvm. Download the installer from https://github.com/coreybutler/nvm/releases

To upgrade, run the new installer. It will safely overwrite the files it needs to update without touching your node.js installations. Make sure you use the same installation and symlink folder. If you originally installed to the default locations, you just need to click “next” on each window until it finishes.

Credits Directly copied from : https://digitaldrummerj.me/windows-running-multiple-versions-of-node/

score 2 · Answer 7 · answered Dec 05 '21 at 09:05

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I will list two ways. You can choose one Whichever works for you.

1. Using installer

Download nvm-setup.zip and unzip the file and install it, keeping the configurations default.

1. Use curl Copy the below command and run it in your terminal

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.37.2/install.sh | bash

After this reopen/open terminal and check the nvm version runing below command.

nvm -v

And that's it.

answered Dec 05 '21 at 09:05

Mustkeem K

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#1 worked for me in 2022 on windows 10 x64 where nothing else did. – mdkb Jul 09 '22 at 02:22

score 2 · Answer 8 · answered Jul 04 '22 at 08:50

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If someone is looking for install on Window 11! Not directly relevant here, but might be useful.

It is immaterial if you install NVM (version 1.1.9.) say after the node (16.15.1) is already installed. During the nvm installation process, it asks for the right to manage the existing node version and symlinks that.

Get the version from the GitHub repo, I opted for the zip version.

https://github.com/coreybutler/nvm-windows/releases

Double click the application and it is just a few steps.

answered Jul 04 '22 at 08:50

vimal krishna

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I tried this on windows 10 and it worked once I took the right zip file to download from the latest releases. For anyone doing this I got confused as this is not the same as the main github software download (which I tried at first and had only a .bat file in). If you have anything other than "nvp-setup.exe" in the zip, then you have probably downloaded the wrong thing for windows install. This is easier than all the articles on how to do this which are pre 2022 and imply it is a big job. It isnt. run that exe and follow vimals instructions and its done. easy. – mdkb Jul 09 '22 at 02:24

score 1 · Answer 9 · edited Mar 11 '21 at 23:24

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1.downlad nvm 
2.install chocolatey
3.change C:\Program Files\node   to C:\Program Files\nodejsx

emphasized textThe first thing that we need to do is install NVM. website : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/nodejs/setup-on-windows

edited Mar 11 '21 at 23:24

Andre Cytryn

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answered Mar 02 '20 at 13:02

Fahimeh Ahmadi

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Neenus · Answer 10 · 2022-01-27T21:28:28.390

So this answer is for windows users that are using git bash or some other console emulator like cmder ... if you're using CMD this solution will not work for you also why? why are you still using CMD?

I know this is a pretty old post but I just achieved this yesterday and wanted to add my answer for anyone looking to do the same.

First check if you have .bashrc profile in your home directory by typing ls -alh ~ (by default this doesn't exist)
if it doesn't exist type this command to generate a .bashrc profile with default values in it cat /etc/bash.bashrc > ~/.bashrc (if it does exist skip this step)
Download and run the nvm install script as provided in the nvm docs page curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.1/install.sh | bash (make sure you do this in your home directory)
then edit the new generated .bashrc profile file you created above; use nano/vim to do that nano ~/.bashrc and add the following to the bottom of the file export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm" [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" # This loads nvm and save your .bashrc file with the changes.
lastly source your .bashrc file by typing source ~/.bashrc
verify installation nvm --version

and now you have nvm installed and you can use the commands as per https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm#usage

I'm using Cmder on Windows. Sadly the above does not work. I have a .bashrc file with the export command inside. Running `source ~/.bashrc` in the prompt directly results in the error "source is not a known command...". I tried adding this command in a .sh file in the cmder config/profile.d directory and that did nothing. Also tried adding the export command in a .sh file in the same dir - again it did nothing. Running `nvm -v` results in "nvm is not a known command..." Any ideas? I can use nvm in bash, I just hate using bash — danwellman, Mar 14 '23 at 10:42
@danwellman that is strange because `source` is a built in shell command and cmder should recognize it! either way if that is not working you can simply close your terminal and reopen again if nvm is still not working I would check `.bashrc` if it actually has the path to your nvm installation — Neenus, Mar 16 '23 at 12:58

score 0 · Answer 11 · edited Sep 03 '14 at 23:49

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First off, I use nvm on linux machine.

When looking at the documentation for nvm at https://www.npmjs.org/package/nvm, it recommendations that you install nvm globally using the -g switch.

npm install -g nvm

Also there is a . in the path variable that they recommend.

export PATH=./node_modules/.bin:$PATH

so maybe your path should be

C:\Program Files (x86)\nodejs\node_modules\npm\\.bin

edited Sep 03 '14 at 23:49

loganfsmyth

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answered Sep 03 '14 at 22:57

user3834928

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the g switch seemed to make things work on my Windows 7 machine, thanks – Alexander Mills Sep 04 '14 at 17:23
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i set path as u say but when i try to `nvm install 6.9.1` this error occurs **Could not retrieve https://nodejs.org/dist/latest/SHASUMS256.txt. Get https://nodejs.org/dist/latest/SHASUMS256.txt: dial tcp** 104.20.22.46:443: i/o timeout – Kishan Oza May 10 '17 at 08:52
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" npm install -g nvm " is not the correct way to install nvm – Ethan Mar 03 '20 at 15:42

score 0 · Answer 12 · answered Jun 08 '20 at 16:47

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An alternative to nvm-windows, which is mentioned in other answers would be Nodist.

I've had some issues with nvm-windows and admin privileges, which Nodist doesn't seem to have.

answered Jun 08 '20 at 16:47

David Dostal

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score 0 · Answer 13 · answered Apr 08 '21 at 09:38

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I know I'm late here but this may help in the future if someone looking for NVM to install in Windows or linux
run this command in cmd

       $ curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.38.0/install.sh | bash

answered Apr 08 '21 at 09:38

vibhu

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This worked. After installing, use git bash and run these commands. `export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"` `[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ` # This loads nvm – gsb22 Oct 04 '21 at 11:46

Why isn't Node Version Manager (NVM) recognized on Windows?

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