How to Fix “Yarn Command Not Found”

Yarn is a package manager for Javascript that has seen an increase in popularity in recent years. However, it also has one of the most common errors: yarn command not found. This can be frustrating, but here are some ways to resolve this issue.

What is Yarn?

Yarn is a package manager for JavaScript that offers a faster and more secure solution than npm, the default package manager of the Node.js runtime environment. This tool allows you to manage packages from the npm registry and other registries like Bower or yarn itself.

It provides a consistent workflow and deterministic lock file for easier dependency management. Yarn is compatible with npm, so you can easily install and manage npm packages within your project.

Furthermore, it gives you features unavailable in npm, such as Workspaces, Plug’n’Play, and Security – all excellent reasons to choose it as your go-to for managing JavaScript dependencies.

How to Check if Yarn is Installed?

If you’re unsure whether or not Yarn is installed on your system, you can check by running the command below.

$ yarn --version
-bash: yarn: command not found

This will give you the Yarn version installed on your system. If this command gives you the error “yarn: command not found,” it means that Yarn isn’t installed, and you’ll need to install it before continuing.

Is Yarn in Your Environment Variable?

The most common reason for this error is that the Yarn executable file isn’t in your PATH environment variable. This means that when you try to run yarn, it can’t find the yarn command and displays an error message instead.

To get the path of yarn, run this command:

npm config get prefix

You should already have npm installed. If you get the error “npm command not found,” you can read my guide on installing npm.

It should give you the path where yarn is installed.

For Windows, yarn is installed at this path:

C:\> npm config get prefix
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\npm

For macOS, yarn is installed at this path:

% npm config get prefix
/usr/local

For Debian Linux, yarn is installed at this path:

Here is how to add yarn to your environment variable on Windows:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Yarn\bin

Here is how to add yarn to your environment variable on macOS:

export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"

Here is how to add yarn to your environment variable on Debian Linux:

export PATH="/usr/bin:$PATH"

How to Install Yarn?

If you have npm (Node Package Manager) installed, you can install Yarn by running the command below.

On Windows

Install Yarn using npm:

npm install --global yarn

On macOS

Install Yarn using Homebrew:

brew install yarn

On Debian Linux

Install Yarn using npm:

sudo npm install -g yarn

If you’re unable to install Yarn using npm for whatever reason, another option is to install Yarn using the installation script:

curl -o- -L https://yarnpkg.com/install.sh | bash

How to Reinstall Your Node Installation?

The Node Package Manager (npm) may have corrupted your system. Follow the steps below to perform the uninstallation, depending on the operating system you are running.

Windows:

• Go to the Control Panel and uninstall the Node.js program.
• Go to the Node.js download page to download the latest Node.js version.
• Run the Windows Installer and follow the installation wizard.
• The installer will install a new version of yarn.

macOS:

• Go to the Node.js download page to download the latest Node.js version.
• Run the macOS Installer and follow the installation wizard.
• The installer will reinstall the yarn automatically.

Debian Linux:

• From the Terminal, remove the Node.js package.

sudo apt remove nodejs
sudo apt purge nodejs
sudo apt autoremove

Download and install the latest version of npm by running this command:

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.1/install.sh | bash

After the reinstallation of npm, install yarn by following the steps above.

How Do I Know My Yarn Version?

Once yarn is installed, you can check the version of yarn by running this command:

Conclusion

You’ve completed the reinstallation process. Now, you can get back to coding without any performance issues arising from malfunctioning versions of npm and Node.js.

We hope this has been helpful, but if there are any questions or comments about what we covered in this blog post, please feel free to comment below.

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