How to fix Module not found: Can't resolve 'react' in React

Ensure your terminal is in the project root directory where package.json is located. List the contents of the current directory and confirm package.json exists:

ls -la
# You should see package.json in the output

pwd
# Verify this is your project's root directory

If package.json is not in the current directory, navigate to the correct directory using cd before proceeding.

Open your package.json file and verify that "react" is listed under dependencies. It should look like this:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "^18.2.0",
    "react-dom": "^18.2.0"
  }
}

If React is missing from dependencies, add it manually or proceed to the next step to install it.

Install React and react-dom using npm or yarn. This will add them to package.json and create/update node_modules:

npm install react react-dom

# Or if using yarn:
yarn add react react-dom

# Or if using pnpm:
pnpm add react react-dom

After installation completes, try running your development server or build command again.

If installing React did not resolve the issue, perform a complete clean reinstall. This removes potentially corrupted files and rebuilds your dependency tree:

# Remove node_modules and lock file
rm -rf node_modules
rm -f package-lock.json
# Or for yarn: rm -f yarn.lock
# Or for pnpm: rm -f pnpm-lock.yaml

# Clear npm cache
npm cache clean --force

# Reinstall all dependencies
npm install

# Or for yarn:
yarn install

# Or for pnpm:
pnpm install

This forces a fresh installation of all packages from scratch.

Check that your import statements for React are formatted correctly. Common mistakes include typos or incorrect casing:

// CORRECT - lowercase "react"
import React from 'react';
import { useState } from 'react';

// WRONG - uppercase "React" in import path
import React from 'React'; // This will fail

// WRONG - incorrect module name
import React from 'reactjs'; // No such package

Ensure all files importing React use the correct lowercase 'react' module name.

If you are using a monorepo (with tools like Lerna, Nx, or Turborepo) or yarn/pnpm workspaces, ensure React is installed in the correct workspace package:

# For yarn workspaces, install in specific package:
yarn workspace my-app add react react-dom

# For pnpm workspaces:
pnpm add react react-dom --filter my-app

# Alternatively, install in root for all packages:
pnpm add react react-dom -w

Verify your workspace configuration in package.json or the workspace root configuration file.

Older versions of npm have known dependency resolution bugs. Update npm to the latest version:

npm install -g npm@latest

# Verify the update
npm --version

After updating npm, delete node_modules and package-lock.json again, then run npm install.

After installing dependencies, completely restart your development server and IDE:

# Stop the dev server (Ctrl+C)

# Start it again
npm run dev
# Or: npm start
# Or: yarn dev

Also close and reopen your code editor (VS Code, WebStorm, etc.) to ensure it reloads the updated node_modules.