How to Fix "npm ERR! code ENOENT" Error? - GeeksforGeeks (2024)

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Common Solution of the error 1. Ensure you’re in the project root directory 2. Check if package.json exists 3. Create a package.json file if it doesn’t exist 4. Delete the node_modules directory and then reinstall all the dependencies 5. Restart your IDE and development server Please Login to comment...

Last Updated : 13 Jun, 2024

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You will see the error message “npm ERR! code ENOENT syscall open” if you try to run an npm command outside your project root folder. To resolve this error, first, make sure you are in your project’s root directory before running the command or generating a new package.json file in that directory.

npm ERR! code ENOENT syscall open

npm error code ENOENT
npm error syscall open
npm error path C:\Users\Mayank\Desktop\git\package.json
npm error errno -4058
npm error enoent Could not read package.json: Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, open 'C:\Users\Mayank\Desktop\git\package.json'
npm error enoent This is related to npm not being able to find a file.
npm error enoent
npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: C:\Users\Mayank\AppData\Local\npm-cache\_logs\2024-06-01T11_13_56_667Z-debug-0.log

Common Solution of the error

1. Ensure you’re in the project root directory

Open your terminal and navigate to your project’s root directory where the package.json file is located. Use the cd command to change directories.

cd path/to/your/project

For example:

cd C:\Users\Mayank\Desktop\git

2. Check if package.json exists

Verify that the package.json file exists in the directory. You can list the files in the directory with:

ls

dir

If package.json is not present, you need to create one.

3. Create a package.json file if it doesn’t exist

If package.json is missing, create it by running:

npm init -y

This command initializes a new package.json file with default settings.

4. Delete the node_modules directory and then reinstall all the dependencies

In case you are 100% sure your terminal is in your project’s root folder (where the package.json file is), proceed to delete both node_modules and package-lock.json files before running npm install again.