nvm use does not switch node versions

Question

on a Windows 10 machine and using nvm4w I tried:

from the above image:

node --version to check the current version
nvm list to list installed versions
nvm use 8.8.1 so we switch from 6 to 8
nvm on to enable it
node --version to re-check the node version

what am I doing wrong?

score 101 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 12 '19 at 22:46

101

I had to delete the folder located at C:\Program Files\nodejs:

And then run nvm use {version} again to repopulate this folder with the correct node version.

I suspect that in some cases nvm is having trouble deleting this folder for some reason.

answered Mar 12 '19 at 22:46

Dustin Spengler

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`nvm alias default {version}` for linux – Anis Benna Oct 20 '21 at 16:50

score 29 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 09 '19 at 04:36

29

So I found a workaround.

I renamed C:\Program Files\nodejs to C:\Program Files\nodejsx

and then running nvm use versionNumber works fine.

Seems like nvm cannot change it to a symlink and fails silently.

answered Jul 09 '19 at 04:36

Shuvo

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Sachin Mishra · Answer 3 · 2020-08-25T13:23:01.940

nvm works based on the fundamental idea of symlinks. When a user is trying to hit the command nvm install <node_version> the entered version of node is getting installed even if you have changed the C:\Program Files\nodejs to C:\Program Files\nodejsx.

If nvm fails to create the new folder C:\Program Files\nodejs it will fail silently and you won't be informed.

You must manually check for the existence of the path C:\Program Files\nodejs if it exits then delete the folder and change the node path in your environmental variables. This will help you to figure out the version of the npm command.

score 6 · Answer 4 · answered Dec 09 '20 at 08:42

6

I was also facing the same issue.

I had node version 14.15.1 installed in my machine and had to use 12.16.1

I'm using Windows 10.

After installing 12.16.1 via nvm it was showing only this version in nvm list and it wasn't showing current version in use.

Even after node use 12.16.1 the node -v was still showing 14.15.1.

Steps to resolve this issue:

Uninstall Nodejs from control panel.
Install Nodejs 12.16.1 using nvm install 12.16.1
Install Nodejs 14.15.1 using nvm install 14.15.1 (or the version which got uninstalled)
Switch version using nvm use 12.16.1 (change the version number accordingly)

Result:

C:\>nvm list

    14.15.1
  * 12.16.1 (Currently using 64-bit executable)
    12.3.1

C:\>node -v
v12.16.1

answered Dec 09 '20 at 08:42

Athul M R

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the question has some years, so I've evolved since - if you install [nvm through chocolatey](https://chocolatey.org/packages/nvm), all works out of the box... since I started to use Chocolatey, I have no issues with anything, even upgrading software is easy, and when there's the software you don't want to upgrade, you can pin them and they will never be upgraded – balexandre Dec 09 '20 at 12:47
So what are you trying to do with these steps? "Installing, uninstalling, installing" does not make much sense to me lol; also note: I also use choco, powershell admin to install/use. never worked. – pupsozeyde Feb 04 '22 at 01:59
This worked. The problem for Windows are conflicts between the various node.js/nvm/yarn... – dcolazin Mar 14 '22 at 08:07

score 3 · Answer 5 · answered Jul 11 '18 at 12:26

3

Your problem can be solved by reinstalling the nvm version with Administrator privileges or just by renaming the folder C:\Program Files\nodejs

You can find further information here: https://github.com/coreybutler/nvm-windows/issues/67

answered Jul 11 '18 at 12:26

jomateix

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Himanshu Kumar · Answer 6 · 2021-01-29T15:15:53.933

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This happens to be the issue till date and deleting nodejs folder does not work.

Just run nvm install using cmd as administrator.

So even if you have downloaded nodejs from cmd without admin privilages, uninstall it and install again using cmd as admin.

This is what worked for me after trying almost every solution from github and stackoverflow.

edited Jan 29 '21 at 15:15

answered Jan 10 '21 at 16:46

Himanshu Kumar

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Shrinivas Kalangutkar · Answer 7 · 2018-11-15T06:22:46.857

1) Install NVM from the link : https://github.com/coreybutler/nvm-windows/releases.

2) Copy the settings.txt from the "C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\nvm". to "C:\Users\ YOUR_USERNAME" 3) Restart your system for the changes to reflect. 4) Open the console and type below command : nvm list 5) To install the 6.9.3 version run the below command : nvm install 6.9.3 6) After the installation is complete it will add the node version in the nvm. To check the same type command : nvm list 7) To switch the command version type command below command : nvm use 6.9.3 To verify the node version switch type the command “node –v” 8) Its will display the node version in use.

For more details please check the below link : https://www.tutespace.com/2018/11/nvm-installation-on-windows.html

Let us know if you still face the same issue.

John Gorenfeld · Answer 8 · 2022-04-14T07:18:38.147

For me the problem (on Linux) was that I had installed node with Homebrew, and it was preventing the use of nvm. Before nvm could set up the correct symlink, I had to

brew uninstall node

I first found out about this situation by running

which node

This told me that node was being symlinked from Homebrew at

/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/node

instead of, as we want, from nvm at

/home/john/.nvm/versions...

As soon as "which node" reported that it was using the node from nvm, things were resolved for me.

score 1 · Answer 9 · answered Jun 12 '20 at 16:45

I had the same problem.

My solution is that i uninstalled nodejs via chocolatey (the way i installed it) and then nvm worked again.

After checking the nodejs folder in C:/Program Files i noticed that nvm probably works via creating a link/shortcut to the nvm folder where the different versions of nodejs are stored. That´s the way the "Path" and everything works.

I hope that helped.

score 1 · Answer 10 · answered Mar 17 '22 at 09:42

1

I have tried to switch Node version using nvm but it is not reflecting so I deleted the folder inside c:/program files/nodejs
after deleting the folder follow the same steps to switch the npm version using nvm and it will switch the node version.

answered Mar 17 '22 at 09:42

Ira

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This is very similar to the top answer. Can you explain the difference? – General Grievance Mar 22 '22 at 18:26

ßãlãjî · Answer 11 · 2021-07-05T10:46:43.353

0

Follow this step

1.delete node and npm in path

To Find Path

which node

output

/c/Users/balaji/AppData/Roaming/npm/node

which npm

output

/c/program files/node.js

2.To list out version

nvm list

3.set node

nvm use version

To know remote version

nvm  list available

To know local version

nvm list

edited Jul 05 '21 at 10:46

answered Jul 05 '21 at 10:25

ßãlãjî

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I can confirm - this worked for me. – StartedFromTheBottom Mar 25 '22 at 13:15
which is not a powershell command... – MushyPeas May 18 '22 at 14:23

score 0 · Answer 12 · answered Nov 23 '21 at 21:17

None of the above helped in my case. I could see the symlink was created and correct but NVM4W would still not "use" the correct version. The node version I had installed with NVM was not compatible with my version of Windows.

When you run "nvm ls" or "nvm current", it calls GetCurrentVersion() which runs "node -v" in the command line. If that output is anything other than the current version, such as the warning that you are running an incompatible OS, it will fail to indicate the currently selected version. It does so in a way that is not obvious why "nvm use x" did not work.

You can bypass the node OS check with an environment variable (node version >=14 as far as I could find): How to set the NODE_SKIP_PLATFORM_CHECK environment variable to 1 which skips the version check Though you may need to update Windows or use an earlier version of node if node doesn't function as expected.

With that set, "nvm use" functioned as expected.

score 0 · Answer 13 · answered Apr 15 '22 at 05:54

I met this problem this morning. And I think the reason for the problem is that it's different between the nvm's settings and env configuration. I solved it the following way.

open the path of nvm installation.
open the setting.txt file and have a check with the path value.
open the environment variables Control panel in Windows.
check if it's the same between the value of NVM_SYMLINK in the system path and path in the setting.txt
change two configuration to same values.

nvm use does not switch node versions

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