'npm start errors with ERR! code ENOENT, syscall open

I'm suddently having a problem with "npm start" in my React application. When I trigger it, this is what I receive:

npm ERR! code ENOENT
npm ERR! syscall open
npm ERR! path /mnt/c/Users/pal/Desktop/dev/myApp/package.json
npm ERR! errno -2
npm ERR! enoent ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/mnt/c/Users/pal/Desktop/dev/myApp/package.json'
npm ERR! enoent This is related to npm not being able to find a file.
npm ERR! enoent

npm ERR! A complete log of this run can be found in:
npm ERR!     /home/palnic/.npm/_logs/2020-02-20T11_30_39_463Z-debug.log

This is the debug.log:

0 info it worked if it ends with ok
1 verbose cli [ '/usr/bin/node', '/usr/bin/npm', 'start' ]
2 info using [email protected]
3 info using [email protected]
4 verbose stack Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/mnt/c/Users/pal/Desktop/dev/myApp/package.json'
5 verbose cwd /mnt/c/Users/pal/Desktop/dev/myApp/package.json
6 verbose Linux 4.4.0-18362-Microsoft
7 verbose argv "/usr/bin/node" "/usr/bin/npm" "start"
8 verbose node v12.13.1
9 verbose npm  v6.13.7
10 error code ENOENT
11 error syscall open
12 error path /mnt/c/Users/pal/Desktop/dev/myApp/package.json
13 error errno -2
14 error enoent ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/mnt/c/Users/pal/Desktop/dev/myApp/package.json'
15 error enoent This is related to npm not being able to find a file.
16 verbose exit [ -2, true ]

I tried the following solution:

sudo npm install -g npm     //(ok!)
sudo npm cache clean   //(not working if not using --force flag)

And then npm install returns:

npm WARN saveError ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/mnt/c/Users/pal/Desktop/dev/myApp/package.json'
npm WARN enoent ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/mnt/c/Users/pal/Desktop/dev/myApp/package.json'
npm WARN myApp No description
npm WARN myApp No repository field.
npm WARN myApp No README data
npm WARN myApp No license field.

up to date in 0.454s
found 0 vulnerabilities

My npm version is: 6.13.7

This is my package.json

{
  "name": "myApp",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "private": true,
  "dependencies": {
    "@testing-library/jest-dom": "^4.2.4",
    "@testing-library/react": "^9.4.0",
    "@testing-library/user-event": "^7.2.1",
    "firebase": "^7.7.0",
    "node-sass": "^4.13.1",
    "react": "^16.12.0",
    "react-dom": "^16.12.0",
    "react-redux": "^7.1.3",
    "react-router-dom": "^5.1.2",
    "react-scripts": "3.3.0",
    "react-stripe-checkout": "^2.6.3",
    "redux": "^4.0.5",
    "redux-logger": "^3.0.6",
    "redux-persist": "^6.0.0",
    "redux-saga": "^1.1.3",
    "redux-thunk": "^2.3.0",
    "reselect": "^4.0.0",
    "styled-components": "^5.0.0"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "start": "react-scripts start",
    "build": "react-scripts build",
    "test": "react-scripts test",
    "eject": "react-scripts eject"
  },
  "eslintConfig": {
    "extends": "react-app"
  },
  "browserslist": {
    "production": [
      ">0.2%",
      "not dead",
      "not op_mini all"
    ],
    "development": [
      "last 1 chrome version",
      "last 1 firefox version",
      "last 1 safari version"
    ]
  }
}

ADo you have any ideas on the possible causes and the possible solutions?

Solution 1:^[1]

Just cd to the app directory where package.json is and run npm start again.

Solution 2:^[2]

I think you forgot to open a terminal inside the project folder

so solution is change directory to your path where your package.json file is

My project folder is Currency not CurrancyConverter

cd currency

this is best solution which i found !!!

Solution 3:^[3]

This is because you have done

npm install

and

npm start

from outside the project directory to overcome this issue. first do

cd project-name

then do

npm install
npm start

I hope this will solve your issue because it works for me.

Solution 4:^[4]

Your stated error:

npm WARN saveError ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/mnt/c/Users/pal/Desktop/dev/myApp/package.json'
npm WARN enoent ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '/mnt/c/Users/pal/Desktop/dev/myApp/package.json'
npm WARN myApp No description
npm WARN myApp No repository field.
npm WARN myApp No README data
npm WARN myApp No license field.

You can check the bold lines. It explains that you are not in the directory which contains the package.json file.

Most of the times you should run this command in the app directory. So, you need to cd into the directory which holds package.json then there you can run your commands like npm install, npm start etc.

So, before running these commands please check if you are in the correct directory.

Solution 5:^[5]

Use cd to the home directory of your project (or a directory where package.json is located) and then run the npm start command.

This usually happens while working with terminals.

Solution 6:^[6]

You need to cd (Change directory) into the proper directory where your package.json is.

Solution 7:^[7]

it is very small problem you can easily overcome this problem by changing the directory of the folder

just see the image

you can see here that I made a mistake in the directory because I am trying to run npm in to the react-proj but I already made a folder called quiz-app so I changed the directory by writing cd {folder name} like cd quiz-app

then run the file

npm start

I hope it will solve your problem

Solution 8:^[8]

This is because you are running command outside of project.

cd project_name
npm install

Solution 9:^[9]

This is error is only come when we outside the project and try to npm start just make sure you are in the correct folder double-check where package.json file is there. In my case, I have new app folder in which my-app folder is there so I was confused and thought I am in the correct folder. so Please make sure you are in the right folder where you are going to enter npm start

I hope it ll work.

Solution 10:^[10]

If you are in the right directory and your project is in a shared folder in virtual box and your error shows up due to a missing package.json file in one of the modules folder like below, then it has nothing to do with npm or package-lock, and something to do with virtual box shared folders.

Here is my error.

npm ERR! code ENOENT
npm ERR! syscall open
npm ERR! path <project_location>/node_modules/yargs/node_modules/string-width/package.json.3307748328
npm ERR! errno -2
npm ERR! enoent ENOENT: no such file or directory, open '<project_location>/node_modules/yargs/node_modules/string-width/package.json.3307748328'

I found that this is a well known issue here with a lot of good suggestions on how to fix it.

https://github.com/npm/npm/issues/992

I ended up using this one:

https://github.com/npm/npm/issues/992#issuecomment-289935776

Solution 11:^[11]

If you are trying npm start in correct directory and it doesn't worked yet, I was same issue. My directory was (...)/web/ web so I changed the local of my project to (...)different_name_subdirectory/web and it worked for me

Solution 12:^[12]

You probably are in one external file. You have to start the project in the inner file of the project. pay attention to the command line. like this error : C:\projects\file A\file B...\fileX solve:C:\projects\file A\file B...\fileX\reactFile

Solution 13:^[13]

I get the same error but not the directory problem.

In my case, I put Wrong Environment Variable declare in .env file.

So, if you face the exact same problem but not directory problem, please check your .env (environment variable) of your project.

Solution 14:^[14]

Might be you are not starting your React app from source folder.

Error: npm ERR! code ENOENT npm ERR! syscall open npm ERR! path D:\rn-starter/package.json

you need to check where is your source code is located.

Solution 15:^[15]

I just install the visual studio code and this problem was solved

Solution 16:^[16]

Also you can check package.json in your project folder. If package.json doesn't exist try to create this or rename package-lock.json. After that: npm install in your project folder and npm run if you use latest version. It works to me.

Solution 17:^[17]

I had this same exact issue, but if you go back an reinstall it, you’ll see that the instructions say to make sure that your user path is localized. Once I switched my path to localized and entered npm i into the terminal, it installed no problem.

Solution 18:^[18]

Check if there is package.json file or not if not then run npm init and fill the details.
I got this error while installing nodemon package and when I created index.js file or any js file it didn't throw me error.
You can cd to the root folder and then once again cd to the app directory where the package.json is there.

Solution 19:^[19]

start the npm in your folder where you create react app.

example: enter image description here

Solution 20:^[20]

the same issue occur on my project terminal when i am install npm start because my project path was not correct then i am cd command and go to in coorect path of path then my issue was solve

Solution 21:^[21]

After successful installation, navigate to the cd project-name and then do

npm start

Solution 22:^[22]

you need to start by initializing npm by using

npm init

after that install npm by using

npm install

Sources

This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Overflow and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Source: Stack Overflow

Solution	Source
Solution 1	Gourav
Solution 2	Anuj
Solution 3	Aravind
Solution 4
Solution 5	xKobalt
Solution 6	Fifth Dimension Dragon
Solution 7	lejlun
Solution 8	benson23
Solution 9	Sonali Mangrinda
Solution 10	Mubashar Abbas
Solution 11	Fellipe Carvalho
Solution 12	Amin Hashemian
Solution 13	Necromancer
Solution 14	Poli Sankar Naidu
Solution 15	Lucas Giehl Satriano
Solution 16	alliancesuck13
Solution 17	Dijkgraaf
Solution 18	Anant Jain
Solution 19	Adrian
Solution 20	Ahsan Raza Alvi
Solution 21	Sanket Shelke
Solution 22	Yunnosch

'npm start errors with ERR! code ENOENT, syscall open

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