Eric Binnion

Set default node version with NVM

·

Eric Binnion

I was recently figuring out how to use nvm, and one thing that stood out to me is that I needed to set the default version of node that I wanted to use when opening a new tab.

Because I was new to using nvm it took me a while to find the commands. So, if you happen to find this article while configuring nvm, hopefully you find this useful.

# Install the version that you would like 
nvm install 12.20.1

# Set 12.20.1 (or another version) as default
nvm alias default 12.20.1

Then you can open a new tab and if you run node -v, you should see v6.1.0 (or whichever version you set as the default.

Easy peasy, right? Hopefully this helps you if you’re having some issues!

Comments

48 responses to “Set default node version with NVM”

  1. Rocco Tripaldi Avatar
    Rocco Tripaldi

    Thanks for sharing, I was having this same problem with nvm, and I didn’t even realize it! Does that make sense :p

    Reply
    1. Eric Binnion Avatar
      Eric Binnion

      Makes sense to me ? I could totally see how someone would think that they just had to use nvm use 6.1.0 each time they opened a tab, because that’s what I did for a little bit. ?

      Reply
  7. Mac Liems Avatar
    Mac Liems

    I have this weird issue with nvm and Yarn:
    I have defaulted nvm to node version 8.4.0. Now, when I do yarn –version, I get an old version (0.27.5).
    However, when I do nvm use 8.4.0 (which should not be necessary), THEN I get the new version of Yarn (1.0.2). Is there an explanation for this strange behaviour?

    Reply
    1. Eric Binnion Avatar
      Eric Binnion

      Off of the top of my head, I’m not too sure. The only thing I can think of is that the defaulting is not working properly and that you’re getting different global versions of Yarn?

      Reply
  11. fred Avatar
    fred

    thats what i was looking for; thx

    in retrospect,
    nvm | grep default

    shows the options on the command line (mac / linux) , but your blog got me there first

    Reply
  20. Dan Hauk Avatar
    Dan Hauk

    Thanks! It was always a pain forgetting to change versions and getting errors when running npm start. This is exactly what I was looking for.

    Reply
  22. Denis Howe Avatar
    Denis Howe

    The first time you do an “nvm install”, it sets “nvm alias default” (in ~/.nvm/alias) to the version you install. nvm.sh will then give you that version in every new shell, even if you nvm install a different version. In order to let nvm install set a new default, you can clear the existing one with
    nvm alias default ”
    HtH

    Reply
  37. Mark George Avatar
    Mark George

    Thanks Eric. You know this is the top hit on the Googs for setting default node version with nvm?

    Reply
      1. Sten Avatar
        Sten

        Yup, I was just searching for this and found you! ? Thanks!

        Reply

Leave a Reply to NateCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Discover more from Eric Binnion

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Discover more from Eric Binnion

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading