How to fix Warning: ReactTestUtils is deprecated, use testing-library instead in React

What this error means

This deprecation warning indicates you're using React's legacy testing utilities (ReactTestUtils or react-dom/test-utils) which have been superseded by more modern testing approaches. React's team officially recommends migrating to React Testing Library for a better-supported and more user-centric testing experience. The deprecation affects multiple APIs: ReactDOMTestUtils.act() has been deprecated in favor of importing act from 'react' directly, renderIntoDocument will be removed in React 19, and most other test utilities have already been removed except for act. React Testing Library provides a more robust testing philosophy that encourages testing components the way users actually interact with them, rather than testing implementation details. This approach leads to more maintainable tests that are less likely to break when refactoring.

Typical symptoms

• Console warning: 'ReactTestUtils is deprecated, use testing-library instead'
• Warning about ReactDOMTestUtils.act being deprecated in favor of React.act
• Deprecation warnings when running test suites with Jest or other test runners
• Build warnings referencing react-dom/test-utils or ReactTestUtils
• Tests using Simulate, renderIntoDocument, or other legacy test utility methods

Common causes

1. Using ReactTestUtils or react-dom/test-utils directly in test files
2. Importing act from 'react-dom/test-utils' instead of 'react'
3. Using legacy test utility methods like renderIntoDocument, Simulate, or mockComponent
4. Depending on packages that internally use deprecated React testing utilities
5. Running tests written for older React versions without updating testing approaches

How to fix "Warning: ReactTestUtils is deprecated, use testing-library instead"

npm install --save-dev @testing-library/react @testing-library/jest-dom

yarn add --dev @testing-library/react @testing-library/jest-dom

import ReactTestUtils from 'react-dom/test-utils';

const component = ReactTestUtils.renderIntoDocument(
  <MyComponent />
);

import { render } from '@testing-library/react';

const { container, getByRole } = render(<MyComponent />);

import ReactTestUtils from 'react-dom/test-utils';

ReactTestUtils.Simulate.click(button);
ReactTestUtils.Simulate.change(input, { target: { value: 'test' } });

import { render, fireEvent } from '@testing-library/react';

const { getByRole } = render(<MyComponent />);
fireEvent.click(getByRole('button'));
fireEvent.change(getByRole('textbox'), { target: { value: 'test' } });

import { render } from '@testing-library/react';
import userEvent from '@testing-library/user-event';

const { getByRole } = render(<MyComponent />);
const user = userEvent.setup();
await user.click(getByRole('button'));
await user.type(getByRole('textbox'), 'test');

import { act } from 'react-dom/test-utils';

await act(async () => {
  // test code
});

import { act } from 'react';

await act(async () => {
  // test code
});

import ReactTestUtils from 'react-dom/test-utils';

const buttons = ReactTestUtils.scryRenderedDOMComponentsWithTag(
  component,
  'button'
);
const element = ReactTestUtils.findRenderedDOMComponentWithClass(
  component,
  'my-class'
);

import { render } from '@testing-library/react';

const { getAllByRole, getByText } = render(<MyComponent />);
const buttons = getAllByRole('button');
const element = getByText('My Text'); // or getByTestId('my-test-id')

expect(element.textContent).toBe('Hello');
expect(element.className).toContain('active');

import '@testing-library/jest-dom';

expect(element).toHaveTextContent('Hello');
expect(element).toHaveClass('active');

npm test

grep -r "react-dom/test-utils" src/
grep -r "ReactTestUtils" src/

Advanced notes

Frequently asked questions

What does "Warning: ReactTestUtils is deprecated, use testing-library instead" mean?

This deprecation warning indicates you're using React's legacy testing utilities (ReactTestUtils or react-dom/test-utils) which have been superseded by more modern testing approaches. React's team officially recommends migrating to React Testing Library for a better-supported and more user-centric testing experience. act() has been deprecated in favor of importing act from 'react' directly, renderIntoDocument will be removed in React 19, and most other test utilities have already been removed except for act.

How do I fix "Warning: ReactTestUtils is deprecated, use testing-library instead"?

React's legacy testing utilities have been deprecated in favor of modern testing libraries. This warning appears when using ReactTestUtils or react-dom/test-utils APIs that are scheduled for removal in React 19.

What causes "Warning: ReactTestUtils is deprecated, use testing-library instead"?

Using ReactTestUtils or react-dom/test-utils directly in test files Importing act from 'react-dom/test-utils' instead of 'react' Using legacy test utility methods like renderIntoDocument, Simulate, or mockComponent

Is the "Warning: ReactTestUtils is deprecated, use testing-library instead" error serious?

It is a medium-severity error — more of a blocker than a risk. The steps above resolve it.

Related errors

• Text content does not match server-rendered HTML

  How to fix "Text content does not match server-rendered HTML" in React

  MEDIUM

• Target container is not a DOM element.

  Target container is not a DOM element

  HIGH

• Server and client markup mismatch (text content)

  How to fix text content mismatch between server and client in React

  MEDIUM

• Synthetic event pool is no longer used in React 17+

  How to fix "Synthetic event pool is no longer used" in React

  LOW

• Failed to resolve import. Does the file exist?

  How to fix "Failed to resolve import" in React

  HIGH

• npm ERR! code ETIMEDOUT npm ERR! network request to https://registry.npmjs.org timed out

  npm registry request timed out

  MEDIUM

Official resources & further reading

• 📚React Official Documentation