nvm Troubleshooting (Linux/WSL)

Diagnose and fix common nvm problems on Linux distributions and Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Workflow

1. Run diagnostic checks:

   echo "Shell: $SHELL"
   echo "NVM_DIR: $NVM_DIR"
   cat ~/.bashrc | grep -n nvm
   echo $PATH | tr ':' '\n' | grep nvm
   

2. Identify the distro and shell:

   cat /etc/os-release | head -2
   echo $SHELL
   # WSL check:
   uname -r | grep -i microsoft && echo "WSL detected"
   

3. Fix profile loading issues (most common problem):

   # Ensure these lines are in ~/.bashrc (not just ~/.profile):
   export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
   [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"
   

4. Verify the fix:

   source ~/.bashrc
   command -v nvm   # Should print "nvm"
   nvm --version
   

Note: Installation steps belong to nvm-install. For macOS issues, use nvm-troubleshooting-macos.

Example file map

• examples/troubleshooting-linux.md - Linux-specific troubleshooting
• examples/wsl-troubleshooting.md - WSL-specific issues
• examples/alpine-install.md - Alpine Linux guidance
• examples/problems.md - Common problems and solutions
• examples/compatibility-issues.md - Known compatibility issues

Keywords

linux, wsl, troubleshooting, PATH, profile, compatibility, alpine, nvm not found