Node.js/Windows error: ENOENT, stat 'C:\Users\RT\AppData\Roaming\npm'

Asked 2/8, 2014 at 8:45 Answered 23/1 at 7:57

1099

I have Windows 7 32-bit. I installed the latest Node.js 32 bit.
When I try to run the command npm install jquery, I receive the error:

Error: ENOENT, stat 'C:\Users\RT\AppData\Roaming\npm

How does one resolve it?

Rental answered 2/8, 2014 at 8:45 Comment(6)

Try running the command prompt as administrator. – Craigie 13/8, 2014 at 0:52

Run command prompt as administrator, and create the folder. – Sophistic 29/10, 2014 at 9:37

To remember the error, you can read it like "Error: NO ENTry". So check the directory whether it exists, otherwise create a new one. If there's no access, you can run the command prompt as administrator. Though for no access error node.js normally arise EACCESS error. – Kamalakamaria 10/7, 2015 at 7:11

Googlers, also note, that you can get this message as an ‘not found answer’ to small path typos, i.e. res.sendfile('pathSlightlyWrong/posts.html') (experienced under Windows 7) – Menorah 18/4, 2016 at 8:37

My Unhandled event error got fixed in this answer https://mcmap.net/q/54121/-node-js-error-message-events-js-183-throw-er-unhandled-39-error-39-event – Shenashenan 3/1, 2019 at 13:42

Always scroll past the answer with 1,000 upvotes & read the rest of them... – Style 19/8, 2023 at 14:15

2016

Manually creating a folder named 'npm' in the displayed path fixed the problem.

More information can be found on Troubleshooting page

Overton answered 2/8, 2014 at 13:4 Comment(23)

Seems like a bug on the instller. – Amato 4/8, 2014 at 13:40

Is this bug in some tracker? This makes for an awful first experience with nodejs... – Dichroic 10/8, 2014 at 16:32

This appears a bug with a recent release of Node.js. It wasn't an issue a few months ago. I had to manually create the folder to make it work on Windows 8.1 x64. – Kashmiri 20/8, 2014 at 19:51

It's being tracked by github.com/npm/npm/issues/5905, so you can subscribe to that issue to see progress. – Sparse 21/8, 2014 at 17:38

After creating the missing directory, you can set the prefix to the right path using npm config get prefix / npm config set prefix xxxxx. Then you can remove the created directory again. – Sweet 24/8, 2014 at 9:14

I logged in just to one up this. – Hartz 26/8, 2014 at 18:23

@Dnaso, same here -- still relevant to latest download – Grangerize 6/9, 2014 at 0:30

I can confirm that this works on my laptop with 64bit Node, while the error reproduces on the Dell Venue with 32bit Node. – Kush 8/9, 2014 at 4:16

For those who land here later, this is a reported issue at npm/npm#5905 and joyent/node#8117 – Daynadays 9/9, 2014 at 15:19

I would introduce such a bug just to get the >3K points for this answer on SO :) – Yellowwood 13/9, 2014 at 15:9

I had to delete the existing npm directory and then re-create it. – Sinuosity 22/9, 2014 at 19:9

Had the same problem on Windows 7 64bit. Still not fixed. Maybe it has something to do with running cmd without admin rights? – Remake 14/10, 2014 at 19:13

Manually creating the directory and/or running the command as admin didn't work for me on Win7/64. I ran 'npm install [stuff]' without '-g' which worked. Now it also accepts '-g'. – Retroact 15/10, 2014 at 17:44

still an issue on windows 7 and windows 8.1 , i always arrive here after installing node :) – Philoctetes 27/12, 2014 at 21:22

@maryo: Can you please clarify: "After creating the missing directory, you can set the prefix to the right path using npm config get prefix / npm config set prefix xxxxx. Then you can remove the created directory again." What's the "right" path? – Virga 4/2, 2015 at 14:53

I've set it to D:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm but that's because i use only one user account, previously it was set to something in C:\Users\ – Sweet 16/3, 2015 at 13:41

My error path is 'path/to/out.min.js' and I just named a new folder called 'out.min.js' and it worked!! I'm still confused why that works, but it does... – Orman 16/6, 2015 at 19:45

for me what worked was, manually create a '.npm_modules' folder, because I already had the 'npm' folder – Bangtail 11/2, 2016 at 18:39

Year 2023, before seeing this answer, I thought updating to version 20 would fix it but it did not. unlikable "dev experience" – Anasarca 19/8, 2023 at 21:25

The same worked for node version 18.17.1 – Zwickau 7/9, 2023 at 10:55

I confirm this fixes the issue for node v20 – Impound 11/2 at 11:1

Such a strange but useful way. – Tintometer 18/2 at 3:24

It amazes me that this error still exists after 10 years. I just ran into this with a fresh installation of node on a blank windows 11. – Jacobean 27/3 at 10:54

185

This can also be fixed by installing a node package manually.

npm install npm -g

The process of doing that will setup all the required directories.

Heroic answered 15/12, 2014 at 22:55 Comment(6)

This is the only one that worked for me. Need to use -g for 'Global Mode' so it installs the packages into your <nodejs application path>. It will place them in the 'node_modules' folder. Otherwise, it will run in local mode and attempt to place the files and directories into the whichever path you are currently in. Sometimes, even running as administrator, you will run into directory access issues. – Shaveling 25/1, 2015 at 14:10

This is the only solution that worked for me as well running Win 8.1 with the 64-bit installer. Thanks! – Octogenarian 28/1, 2015 at 20:59

This is the cleanest solution! – Jem 4/2, 2015 at 11:43

this also worked when hitting the same problem on OSX, albeit with a different file path – Retrocede 25/3, 2015 at 15:27

I have just got the error, and found this to be the cleanest option to solve it! – Danner 26/6, 2023 at 23:19

this is the right answer! Thank you – Resurrectionism 1/12, 2023 at 22:0

114

I ran into the same problem while installing a package via npm.

After creating the npm folder manually in C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\ that particular error was gone, but it gave similar multiple errors as it tried to create additional directories in the npm folder and failed. The issue was resolved after running the command prompt as an administrator.

Norikonorina answered 9/9, 2014 at 10:15 Comment(3)

Yeah same for me - Win7 and 64 bit. You need to create new folder and then execute npm command on command prompt run as administrator. – Norikonorina 28/10, 2014 at 6:8

Same thing for me in Windows 10. Thanks for the tip. – Amplitude 22/1, 2015 at 21:5

It worked after reinstalling node, removing npm and npm-cache folders in C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\ and added the folders again in command prompt as an admin. – Cantharides 7/4, 2016 at 20:11

I recommend setting an alternative location for your npm modules.

npm config set prefix C:\Dev\npm-repository\npm --global 
npm config set cache C:\Dev\npm-repository\npm-cache --global

Of course you can set the location to wherever best suits.

This has worked well for me and gets around any permissions issues that you may encounter.

Flowerer answered 9/6, 2015 at 3:39 Comment(0)

you need to creating a folder named 'npm' in the displayed path C:\Users\$userName\AppData\Roaming\ fixed the problem.

Monasticism answered 17/10, 2023 at 8:17 Comment(0)

You can go to the Start Menu and search the Node.js icon and open the shell and then install anything with

install <packagename> -g

Sc answered 29/12, 2014 at 22:33 Comment(0)

If you are sure about installing the Npm package, this solution worked for me Run the terminal in administrator and tun command npm install npm -g -g install package globally

Chamberlain answered 23/1 at 7:57 Comment(0)

Install a stable version instead of the latest one, I have downgrade my version to node-v0.10.29-x86.msi from 'node-v0.10.33-x86.msi' and it is working well for me!

http://blog.nodejs.org/2014/06/16/node-v0-10-29-stable/

Insured answered 11/12, 2014 at 10:50 Comment(0)

I needed a package from github that was written in typscript. I did a git pull of the most recent version from the master branch into the root of my main project. I then went into the directory and did an npm install so that the gulp commands would work that generates ES5 modules. Anyway, to make the long story short, my build process was trying to build files from this new folder so I had to move it out of my root. This was causing these same errors.

Isolda answered 2/8, 2016 at 2:25 Comment(0)

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