Upgrade Node.js to the latest version on Mac OS

Question

Currently I am using Node.js v0.6.16 on Mac OS X 10.7.4. Now I want to upgrade it to the latest Node.js v0.8.1. But after downloading and installing the latest package file from nodejs.org, I found that system is still using v0.6.16 instead of v0.8.1 when I typed "node -v" in a terminal. Is there any step that I have missed? Or, should I thoroughly uninstall the old version before installing the latest one?

BTW, I know that nvm can help to manage the nodejs package

https://github.com/creationix/nvm/

Is there any way to upgrade the Node.js without using it?

I have googled this problem, but it seems to me that there is no very clear answer to this question for the latest Node.js.

Not sure on an answer, but for clarification is a Node process running when you update it? — Bob Davies, Jul 01 '12 at 22:03
No, I don't think there is any Node process running. And after restarting the OS, the "node -v" command still shows v0.6.16 is running. — afterglowlee, Jul 02 '12 at 14:08
You might want to first double check you have it installed with `brew` https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/101090/list-of-all-packages-installed-using-homebrew — Adrien Be, Oct 27 '17 at 15:42
Folks - this is a 6 year old question and with some equally old answers. No doubt that they were the best practices back then. But as of 2018, `brew upgrade node` should work just fine. Please see the answer by wprl below. — pscl, Jun 13 '18 at 07:58
@pscl As of February 2019, the [npm website](https://docs.npmjs.com/downloading-and-installing-node-js-and-npm) actually recommends using a Node version manager like `n` or `nvm` to install and upgrade both Node and npm. — alexw, Feb 16 '19 at 20:34
You can just download the latest installer from the official website. https://nodejs.org/en/download/ — Chris Enitan, Jul 19 '20 at 16:10
I got this issue, because of unnecessary import 'node-sass', which was not required, by remove that import source worked very well. this one is 2021 issue with similar error message inside react. — ArifMustafa, Jan 09 '21 at 07:56

Johan Dettmar · Accepted Answer · 2019-02-11T15:30:16.233

1549

Here's how I successfully upgraded from v0.8.18 to v0.10.20 without any other requirements like brew etc, (type these commands in the terminal):

sudo npm cache clean -f (force) clear you npm cache
sudo npm install -g n install n (this might take a while)
sudo n stable upgrade to the current stable version

Note that sudo might prompt your password.

Additional note regarding step 3: stable can be exchanged for latest, lts (long term support) or any specific version number such as 0.10.20.

If the version number doesn't show up when typing node -v, you might have to reboot.

These instructions are found here as well: davidwalsh.name/upgrade-nodejs
More info about the n package found here: npmjs.com/package/n
More info about Node.js' release schedule: github.com/nodejs/Release

edited Feb 11 '19 at 15:30

answered Oct 12 '13 at 11:36

Johan Dettmar

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worked to update node from v0.10 to v0.12 in macos x snow leopard. Thank you. – Salvador P. Aug 05 '15 at 17:21
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FWIW you can use 'n lts' to install the long term support version rather than the current stable version (i.e. 4.4.3 instead of 5.10.1 at the time of writing) – StephenT Apr 14 '16 at 20:02
Note step 1 force clears your cache. You'll get the warning: npm WARN using --force I sure hope you know what you are doing. – Rimian Jun 01 '16 at 03:09
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Brew is occurring error. This is the correct answer, currently. – oguzhan00 Apr 29 '17 at 18:22
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you can do `sudo n latest` as the final step also – danimal May 03 '17 at 23:10
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`sudo n lts` as the last step gets you a Long Term Support version – Slartibartfast Jan 11 '18 at 02:51
Perfect @osx node upgraded to 9.8.0 – Johan Hoeksma Mar 13 '18 at 11:51
Thanks, It helped as brew with sudo is no longer supported. – Parth Bhuva Jun 06 '18 at 05:19
you made my day – Disfigure Jul 11 '18 at 13:32
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This hasn't worked for me. Am I doing something wrong? – pravchuk Jul 21 '18 at 11:04
I didn't need to clear my cache, but maybe I made a mistake in not doing so – gdbj Sep 17 '18 at 23:53
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I tried a couple of from this answer thread But Only This Solutions works for me. @Johan Dettmar, Thanks for the answer. I upgraded from 8.x to 10.10.0 – AMIC MING Oct 05 '18 at 18:32
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This worked, but no one explains what the commands why installing "n" helps. I just figured out today that "n" is a Node.js version manager, as somewhat explained on the npm js website - https://www.npmjs.com/get-npm – Mark Oct 29 '18 at 18:32
Doing this is enough npm cache clean -f & npm install -g node – arun-r Mar 05 '19 at 09:09
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Excellent answer +1, very helpful in helping me upgrade my node to work with PWA – Baber Jun 17 '19 at 16:05

wprl · Answer 2 · 2020-03-06T17:29:06.637

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If you initially installed Node.js with Homebrew, run:

brew update
brew upgrade node
npm install -g npm

Or as a one-liner:

brew update && brew upgrade node && npm install -g npm

A convenient way to change versions is to use nvm:

brew install nvm

To install the latest version of Node.js with nvm:

nvm install node

If you installed via a package, then download the latest version from nodejs.org. See Installing Node.js and updating npm.

edited Mar 06 '20 at 17:29

answered Jul 02 '12 at 17:24

wprl

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Hi SoloBold, thanks for your reply. I didn't use brew. I install the orignal v0.6.16 from the pkg file provided by nodejs.org. So I can't use "brew update node". – afterglowlee Jul 02 '12 at 19:57
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@afterglowlee You might try uninstalling the old node before reinstalling the new one: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9044788/how-do-i-uninstall-nodejs-installed-from-pkg-mac-os-x – wprl Jul 02 '12 at 21:08
Yeah. It seems to be the only way currently to do it. I will try and see if it works. – afterglowlee Jul 03 '12 at 08:26
Thoroughly removing and reinstalling NodeJS works. But I really suspect if it is the proper way to upgrade NodeJS on Mac OS. So as a summary, on Mac OS, we'd better use some tools, such as nvm and brew, to manage the version of NodeJS. – afterglowlee Jul 03 '12 at 10:17
Interestingly, the brew formula for node seems to just do a `./configure && make install;` I'm not sure what exactly brew does in the upgrade process, but it should be reproducible by hand if necessary. A place to start, anyway :) https://github.com/mxcl/homebrew/blob/9ff0a1da93771f44610c8f68d768ddba30becde7/Library/Formula/node.rb – wprl Jul 04 '12 at 14:54
Yeah, it also seems weird to me. Maybe I am quite a newbie to NodeJS. Now I am using nvm to manage my NodeJS version. Nvm downloaded the sourcecode of v0.8.1 and make a couple of links: `ln -fs out/Release/node node` `out/Release/node tools/installer.js install ` `cp -rf src/node.h /Users/user/projects/nvm/v0.8.1/include/node/` `ln -sf ../lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js` `/Users/user/projects/nvm/v0.8.1/bin/npm` `shebang #!/Users/user/projects/nvm/v0.8.1/bin/node` `Now using node v0.8.1` There must be some way to configure it in Mac OS – afterglowlee Jul 05 '12 at 13:42
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I just upvoted this answer, but after 7 mins wait, brew told me installation failed... I also tried `port upgrade node`, but brew already messed up the package and port can't find node now... Finally I went to nodejs.org to download the installation package, and boom! Everything goes well, including the npm! – Jinzhao Huo Mar 04 '13 at 08:56
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@Jinzhao It's recommended not to install more than one of Homebrew, MacPorts, or Fink. – wprl Mar 04 '13 at 18:36
I am using Homebrew and everything works except being able to update npm. I get `npm WARN package.json github-url-from-git@1.1.1 No repository field. /usr/local/bin/npm -> /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/bin/npm-cli.js npm@1.5.0-alpha-1 /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm` – Brittan McGinnis Jul 03 '14 at 02:02
@user2197606 have you run brew doctor and brew update recently? – wprl Jul 07 '14 at 16:38
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in current brew version it states "If you update npm itself, do NOT use the npm update command. The upstream-recommended way to update npm is: npm install -g npm@latest" – Pascal Mar 20 '15 at 09:44
@Pascal they've since fixed the `npm update -g npm` command. https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew/commit/f2bfb09f278ad979560920a83bb022d0dd9a6133 – ma11hew28 Sep 22 '15 at 00:55
I hate update packages with `brew` by symlinks problems, for this time i used the node `dpkg`installer. – SalahAdDin Jul 12 '16 at 13:42
I used homebrew to remove node, then followed the instructions given. The only thing I needed to do was npm install -g n for and then use n stable to use the most current node version – Kate S Feb 15 '17 at 02:42
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Run `npm install -g node` after following above instructions if your node version is still not updated. – Thilina Hasantha Sep 24 '17 at 06:20
You can also simply run: `npm i -g npm`. – MrDEV Nov 26 '17 at 10:37
I strongly advise against installing nvm via brew, you can see that mentioned in the readme on https://github.com/creationix/nvm Personally I have a hard time remove outdated nvm installed via brew. Also when you have node, npm, nvm with non compatible across all major version this create a triangle of dependencies. It's really hard to reason what's going on when things do not work. I would just neutralize nvm before upgrading node/npm. – HoaPhan Mar 12 '19 at 17:07
i wish there was some way to determine whether I installed a piece of software using brew, port, or some other mechanism, because I can never remember! – Michael Apr 21 '19 at 18:31

Kennedy Nyaga · Answer 3 · 2016-01-28T09:01:30.390

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Because this seems to be at the top of Google when searching for how to upgrade nodejs on mac I will offer my tip for anyone coming along in the future despite its age.

Upgrading via NPM
You can use the method described by @Mathias above or choose the following simpler method via the terminal.

sudo npm cache clean -f
sudo npm install -g n
sudo n stable

After which you may opt to confirm the upgrade

node -v

Your nodejs should have upgraded to the latest version. If you wish to upgrade to a specific one say v0.8.19 then instead of

sudo n stable

use

sudo n 0.8.19

EDIT Avoid using sudo unless you need to. Refer to comment by Steve in the comments

edited Jan 28 '16 at 09:01

answered Dec 27 '13 at 06:36

Kennedy Nyaga

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Why would you downvote an answer and not add a comment explaining why? – Kennedy Nyaga Oct 01 '15 at 14:54
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Because you advice to use sudo. – OZ_ Nov 16 '15 at 20:53
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This works, but: is it really necessary to use the `--force` flag on `cache clean`? And I didn't need `sudo` for the first two commands. – Steve Bennett Jan 27 '16 at 01:01
Thanks @SteveBennett for adding that, I added sudo in order to include newbies who would need it, rather than leave them stranded. Moreover, having sudo will work in both cases. – Kennedy Nyaga Jan 28 '16 at 05:22
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Sometimes using sudo when it's not needed actually makes a mess, because you end up with files owned by `root`, which then can't be modified without sudo. – Steve Bennett Jan 28 '16 at 06:21
nice answer. Worked fine. – marlonpya Aug 24 '17 at 06:14
Can I do `sudo n latest` – Van Du Tran Dec 05 '17 at 20:05
I had then a couple of versions and was using the old (active). To change the version that is active [ n use 0.0.0] worked to swap versions. – landed Mar 09 '21 at 17:27

score 63 · Answer 4 · answered Sep 07 '12 at 07:28

63

Go to http://nodejs.org and download and run the installer. It works now - for me at least.

answered Sep 07 '12 at 07:28

Spoeken

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Do you know by any chance how installed jode.js updates in OS/X? – Dimitrios Mistriotis Nov 09 '12 at 11:06
Im not sure I understand what you are asking – Spoeken Nov 19 '12 at 14:22
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Sorry for the confusion (wrote in a hurry). I have installed node.js straight from the site's download link, Current Version: v0.8.14. When say v0.8.15 gets released, will I have to download it again, will it auto-update, will it call-home and inform me? With homebrew for example I was doing a brew upgrade (so it was up to me) – Dimitrios Mistriotis Nov 19 '12 at 16:21
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I don't think it will call home. You will have to check regularly and download the new version from their webpage i think. But im not 100% on this. – Spoeken Nov 21 '12 at 21:12
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probably the easiest way here. – Mohit Dec 13 '16 at 13:58
Likely the only thing that works in all cases. Just do it this way. But I somehow had another `node` installed in `/opt/local/bin` I had to remove cause it was taking precedence in my `PATH`. – sudo Jul 05 '18 at 23:16
Instead of messing around with brew and its errors, this way works! – meshkati Feb 14 '20 at 13:02

score 52 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 08 '13 at 21:55

52

You could install nvm and have multiple versions of Node.js installed.

curl https://raw.github.com/creationix/nvm/master/install.sh | sh
source ~/.nvm/nvm.sh

and then run:

nvm install 0.8.22  #(or whatever version of Node.js you want)

you can see what versions you have installed with :

nvm list

and you can change between versions with:

nvm use 0.8.22

The great thing about using NVM is that you can test different versions alongside one another. If different apps require different versions of Node.js, you can run them both.

answered Mar 08 '13 at 21:55

fijiaaron

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I am using this method now. It seems to me that this is the best way to keep multiple versions running at the same machine. – afterglowlee Apr 14 '13 at 21:19
If you set zch to be your default shell, that will not work. Installing nvm will error on trying to update the .bash_profile file. You will need to install https://github.com/lukechilds/zsh-nvm or edit the zch bash profile manually. – TheRennen Feb 01 '21 at 12:49

score 31 · Answer 6 · answered Jul 22 '16 at 12:47

31

I use Node version manager (called n) for it.

npm install -g n

then

n latest

OR

n stable

answered Jul 22 '16 at 12:47

Shaikh Shahid

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LTS version `n lts` – Sergio Rodrigues Nov 14 '16 at 18:26

score 26 · Answer 7 · edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

Simply go to node JS Website and install the latest version.

Do install latest version instead of the recommended stable version. It will give you freedom to use latest ES6 Features on node.

Can be Found here Node JS.

also to update npm, you will have to use this command.

sudo npm i -g npm@latest

All your projects will work fine.

Update: 2020 another good option is to use nvm for node which can then support multiple versions. use nvm install --lts to always be able to update to latest node version use nvm ls-remote command to to check new versions of node.

Other option for mac :: brew update && brew install node && npm -g npm

Nick Woodhams · Answer 8 · 2016-12-31T18:34:59.127

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On macOS the homebrew recommended way is to run

brew install node
npm install -g npm@latest

Screenshot of Terminal Commands

edited Dec 31 '16 at 18:34

answered Jan 06 '15 at 07:14

Nick Woodhams

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It will install the truly latest version, not just the most current brewed version. – Nick Woodhams Feb 24 '15 at 21:45

score 12 · Answer 9 · answered May 30 '17 at 10:03

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I am able to upgrade the node using following command

nvm install node --reinstall-packages-from=node

answered May 30 '17 at 10:03

Rohit Kale

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score 8 · Answer 10 · answered Jun 01 '18 at 02:47

8

sadly, n doesn't worked for me. I use node version manager or nvm and it works like a charm. heres the link on how to install nvm: https://github.com/creationix/nvm#installation

nvm i 8.11.2 upgrade to latest LTS
nvm use 8.11.2 use it
node -v check your latest version

answered Jun 01 '18 at 02:47

Jannomeister

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This is the one that worked for me. I tried several of the top comments, but after following the steps, node is still stuck at v6. Thanks! – gedii Jul 04 '18 at 07:25
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This worked for me. thanks jannomeister. upvote for accepted answer please – Richard Abear Mar 15 '19 at 02:30

score 6 · Answer 11 · edited Sep 28 '16 at 16:54

Go to the website nodejs.org and download the latest pkg then install. it works for me

I used brew to upgrade my node. It has installed but it located in /usr/local/Cellar/node/5.5.0 and there is a default node in /usr/local/bin/node which bothers me. I don't want to make soft link because I don't really know how brew is organized. So I download the pkg file, installed and I got this info:

Node.js was installed at

/usr/local/bin/node

npm was installed at

/usr/local/bin/npm

Make sure that /usr/local/bin is in your $PATH.

Now the upgrade is completed

score 5 · Answer 12 · answered Apr 04 '16 at 05:06

5

You can just go to nodejs.org and download the newest package. It will update appropriately for you. NPM will be updated as well.

answered Apr 04 '16 at 05:06

BRogers

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By far the easiest, if you initially installed it via de the website. – Elwin Jun 08 '16 at 11:27

score 4 · Answer 13 · answered Apr 10 '17 at 12:18

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I think the simplest way to use the newest version of Node.js is to get the newest Node.js pkg file in the website https://nodejs.org/en/download/current/ if you want to use different version of Node.js you can use nvm or n to manage it.

answered Apr 10 '17 at 12:18

user4810973

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Narendranath Reddy · Answer 14 · 2019-08-19T10:55:52.470

Easy nad Safe Steps

Step 1: Install NVM

brew install nvm

Step 2: Create a directory for NVM

mkdir ~/.nvm/

Step 3: Configure your environmental variables

nano ~/.bash_profile

PASTE BELOW CODE

export NVM_DIR=~/.nvm
source $(brew --prefix nvm)/nvm.sh

source ~/.bash_profile

Step 4: Double check your work

nvm ls

Step 5: Install Node

nvm install 9.x.x

Step6: Upgrade

nvm ls-remote

   v10.16.2   (LTS: Dubnium)
   v10.16.3   (Latest LTS: Dubnium) ..........

nvm install v10.16.3

Troubleshooting

Error Example #1
rm -rf /usr/local/lib/node_modules
brew uninstall node
brew install node --without-npm
echo prefix=~/.npm-packages >> ~/.npmrc
curl -L https://www.npmjs.com/install.sh | sh

https://www.chrisjmendez.com/2018/02/07/install/

Mostafiz Rahman · Answer 15 · 2021-01-09T19:16:30.790

4

Upgrade the version of node without installing any package, not even nvm itself:

sudo npx n stable

Explanations:
This approach is similar to Johan Dettmar's answer. The only difference is here the package n is not installed glabally in the local machine.

edited Jan 09 '21 at 19:16

answered Nov 25 '20 at 15:23

Mostafiz Rahman

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score 3 · Answer 16 · answered Apr 15 '14 at 13:39

3

You can run but you can't hide... At the end you will be using NVM anyways.

answered Apr 15 '14 at 13:39

Igor Escobar

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Or the 'n' package... See Kenny West's answer if you'd like a simple package manager you can install via npm. – depthfirstdesigner Oct 15 '14 at 20:52

score 3 · Answer 17 · edited Nov 30 '17 at 13:33

3

sudo npm install -g n

and then

sudo n latest for linux/mac users

For Windows please reinstall node.

edited Nov 30 '17 at 13:33

lmiguelvargasf

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answered Nov 30 '17 at 13:15

sumanth reddy

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score 3 · Answer 18 · answered May 23 '18 at 11:31

Nvm Nvm is a script-based node version manager. You can install it easily with a curl and bash one-liner as described in the documentation. It's also available on Homebrew.

Assuming you have successfully installed nvm. The following will install the latest version of node.

 nvm install node --reinstall-packages-from=node

The last option installs all global npm packages over to your new version. This way packages like mocha and node-inspector keep working.

N N is an npm-based node version manager. You can install it by installing first some version of node and then running npm install -g n.

Assuming you have successfully installed n. The following will install the latest version of node.

sudo n latest

Homebrew Homebrew is one of the two popular package managers for Mac. Assuming you have previously installed node with brew install node. You can get up-to-date with formulae and upgrade to the latest Node.js version with the following.

1 brew update
2 brew upgrade node

MacPorts MacPorts is the another package manager for Mac. The following will update the local ports tree to get access to updated versions. Then it will install the latest version of Node.js. This works even if you have previous version of the package installed.

1 sudo port selfupdate
2 sudo port install nodejs-devel

This is what worked for me on OSX. I probably had NVM installed because `node -v` kept giving me `6.11.1` even after commands related to `n latest` and so on. The brew upgrade one worked. Thanks. — Khom Nazid, Jul 22 '18 at 14:41
Macports isn't finding the "nodejs-devel" package for me. I had to uninstall the old version and install the new one. — tobymackenzie, Feb 27 '21 at 20:18

Saviah Kao · Answer 19 · 2018-10-05T13:17:57.203

These 2 methods I tried are not working:

Use npm

sudo npm cache clean -f

sudo npm install -g n

sudo n stable

Manual install node from official website (https://nodejs.org/en/)

After trying, node -v still shows the old version of node.

Below method works for me:

Step 1: Install nvm (for more details: https://github.com/creationix/nvm#installation)

Open terminal and type this command:

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.33.11/install.sh | bash

Close terminal and reopen it.

Type this command to check if nvm is installed:

command -v nvm

Step 2: To download, compile, and install the latest release of node, type this:

nvm install node ("node" is an alias for the latest version)

To check if node gets the latest version (v10.11.0).

Installing the latest node also installs the latest npm.

Check if npm gets the latest version (6.4.1).

I found this method is not working for me now. Here is how I did instead: `npm install -g n` `sudo n 10.11.0` (in my case, I just wanna update to 10.11.0) Then it updated to 10.11.0 `node -v` — Saviah Kao, Sep 23 '19 at 07:48

score 2 · Answer 20 · answered Oct 24 '18 at 23:41

2

for latest release: nvm install node

specific version: nvm install 6.14.4

https://github.com/creationix/nvm

answered Oct 24 '18 at 23:41

Deke

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score 1 · Answer 21 · answered Feb 05 '18 at 05:02

Use nvm to upgrade node as per the project requirement..

install nvm through homebrew.. brew update brew install nvm mkdir ~/.nvm nano ~/.bash_profile

In your .bash_profile file (you may be using an other file, according to your shell), add the following :

export NVM_DIR=~/.nvm source $(brew --prefix nvm)/nvm.sh

source ~/.bash_profile echo $NVM_DIR

score 0 · Answer 22 · answered Nov 07 '18 at 13:44

I had the same problem. This is what worked for me because I downloaded and installed node.js globally from the node.js website.

What I did was Give NVM (Node Version Manager) a try. Please do the commands in the following order in your terminal

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/creationix/nvm/v0.33.11/install.sh | bash
command -v nvm
nvm install node
node -v (to confirm the update)

score 0 · Answer 23 · answered Apr 16 '19 at 14:58

You can directly use curl to upgrade node to the latest version. Run the following command:

curl "https://nodejs.org/dist/latest/node-${VERSION:-$(wget -qO- https://nodejs.org/dist/latest/ | sed -nE 's|.*>node-(.*)\.pkg</a>.*|\1|p')}.pkg" > "$HOME/Downloads/node-latest.pkg" && sudo installer -store -pkg "$HOME/Downloads/node-latest.pkg" -target "/"

Reference: https://nodejs.org/en/download/package-manager/#macos

score 0 · Answer 24 · answered Dec 19 '19 at 14:54

This is just to add some info for people who didn't have Node installed with Homebrew but getting that very error when trying to install packages with npm on Mac OS X.

I found this good article explaining how to completely remove Node whichever the way you originally installed it.

After node, npm and n were completely removed from my machine, I just reinstalled Node.js using the official .pckg installer from Node website and everything just went back to normal.

Hope this helps out someone.

score -1 · Answer 25 · answered Jun 15 '18 at 05:32

-1

I was able to update in ~20 seconds with just one line of code

sudo n latest

Other commands weren't working for me, but this one worked. Hope it helps somebody.

answered Jun 15 '18 at 05:32

Shyam

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Upgrade Node.js to the latest version on Mac OS

25 Answers25

Simply go to node JS Website and install the latest version.

also to update npm, you will have to use this command.

Linked