If you've ever come across the "the term npm is not recognized..." error, you know how frustrating it can be.
<pre class="language-markup"><code>npm : The term npm is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program. Check
the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.
At line:1 char:1
+ npm
+ ~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (npm: String) [], CommandNotFoundException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId: CommandNotFoundException

 </code></pre>
The error message "npm: The term npm is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program" can be attributed to two primary reasons:
<ol>
<li>&nbsp;Reason 1: The absence of Node.JS installation on your computer.</li>
<li>&nbsp;Reason 2: The node 'PATH' is not included in your system's environment variables.</li>
</ol>
In earlier versions of Windows, this error looks something like this: " 'npm' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program, or batch file". In this simple guide, we will furnish the solutions to rectify the mentioned issue on the Windows platform.
<h2>Solution 1: Install Node JS</h2>
The "'npm' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program, or batch file" error may occur if we do not have npm installed on our system. &ldquo;npm&rdquo; is one of the top extensive package managers that is used to install and manage the packages used for development purposes such as jQuery, react, yarn, bootstrap, and many more. It is open-source and automatically installed with Node.js installation.
First, open the <a href="https://nodejs.org/en">Node.js</a> official website and download the LTS installer as shown below.
<img src="https://cwh-full-next-space.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/blogpost/npm-is-not-recognized-solved/node-installation.png" width="563" height="568">
After downloading, Install Node.js and npm using the installer.
<img src="https://cwh-full-next-space.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/blogpost/npm-is-not-recognized-solved/install-npm.webp" width="552" height="311">
Once the installer is done, let&rsquo;s try checking if the error is resolved or not by verifying the npm version on cmd/PowerShell.
<pre class="language-bash"><code>npm --version</code></pre>
If all steps are done correctly, then this command should return the version of the npm installed in our system.
<img src="https://cwh-full-next-space.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/blogpost/npm-is-not-recognized-solved/npm-version-check.png" width="562" height="235">
If it still returns the "'npm' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program, or batch file" error, then we will move forward to Solution 2.
<h2>Solution 2: Updating Windows PATH for npm</h2>
In case you've already installed Node.js but continue to encounter this error, the next step involves modifying the npm path within the Windows environment variables. Adding the location of npm into your system's Path variable guarantees the recognition of this tool through the command line interface. This issue predominantly emerges when the system is unable to pinpoint the installation location of npm. We will rectify this by appending npm to the path. Follow these steps to successfully complete the process:
1. Click on your search icon beside the windows icon and type "Environment Variables"
<img src="https://cwh-full-next-space.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/blogpost/npm-is-not-recognized-solved/environment.png" width="558" height="558">
&nbsp;
2. Click on the first option "Edit the system Environment Variables". A System Properties window will open. Click on "Environment Variables"
<img src="https://cwh-full-next-space.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/blogpost/npm-is-not-recognized-solved/system-properties.png" width="330">
3. Select Path and click on "Edit"
<img src="https://cwh-full-next-space.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/blogpost/npm-is-not-recognized-solved/path-edit.png" width="330">
4.&nbsp;Click "New" and add the location of the NodeJS installation.
<img src="https://cwh-full-next-space.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/blogpost/npm-is-not-recognized-solved/add-new-path.png" width="330">
To discover the installation location of Node.js, navigate to the installation directory for Node.js. Begin by accessing your C Drive, then locate the 'Program Files' folder. Inside this folder, you will come across the 'nodejs' folder. Open this folder and copy its path. This is how my nodejs folder looks:
<img src="https://cwh-full-next-space.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/blogpost/npm-is-not-recognized-solved/node-dir.png" width="330">
5. You have to copy this path and add it as an environment variable by pasting it in the edit environment variable dialogue box:
<img src="https://cwh-full-next-space.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/blogpost/npm-is-not-recognized-solved/nodejs-path-copy.png" width="330">
Your "Edit environment variables" dialogue box will look something like this:
<img src="https://cwh-full-next-space.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/blogpost/npm-is-not-recognized-solved/node-added.png" width="330">
Now, we will also add the &lsquo;npm&rsquo; directory. The &lsquo;npm&rsquo; directory is most likely located under %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\npm, which is the same as C:\Users\YOUR_USER\AppData\Roaming\npm.
These are the environment variables in their final configuration.
<img src="https://cwh-full-next-space.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/blogpost/npm-is-not-recognized-solved/all-added-enviro.png" width="330">
&nbsp;
Now, click "Ok" to close all the dialogue boxes, and you are almost done!
Make sure you restart your terminal to apply the changes. Now try to run an npm command, and it should work without any errors.
<pre class="language-bash"><code>npm --version</code></pre>
<img src="https://cwh-full-next-space.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/blogpost/npm-is-not-recognized-solved/npm-version-check.png" width="330">
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
Resolving the "the term npm is not recognized..." issue follows a simple procedure once you're familiar with the necessary steps. By verifying the proper installation and configuration of Node.js and npm, you'll ensure a seamless coding experience. Happy coding!

[Solved] npm : The term ‘npm' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program.

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