npm WARN using --force Recommended protections disabled

# npm WARN using --force Recommended protections disabled

The warning "npm WARN using --force Recommended protections disabled" is shown when we run the npm cache clean --force command.

If you need to verify that the cache has been cleared and the disk space has been reclaimed, use the npm cache verify command.

The warning is most commonly raised when running the npm cache clean --force command.

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npm cache clean --force

Use the npm cache verify command if you need to verify the contents of the cache have been cleared.

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npm cache verify

The npm cache verify command verifies the contents and the integrity of the cache folder.

If you get the "npm WARN using --force Recommended protections disabled" when issuing any command, make sure you haven't set the force behavior globally.

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npm config set force false

npm config get force

# Delete your node_modules and reinstall your dependencies

If the warning is still shown when you issue npm commands, try to delete your node_modules and package-lock.json and rerun npm install.

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# 👇️  (Windows) delete node_modules and package-lock.json
rd /s /q "node_modules"
del package-lock.json

# 👇️  (macOS/Linux) delete node_modules and package-lock.json
rm -rf node_modules
rm -f package-lock.json

# 👇️ clean your npm cache
npm cache clean --force

# 👇️ install packages
npm install

If you still get the warning every time you issue a command, try to update your npm version.

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npm install -g npm@latest

# 👇️ If you get a permissions error on macOS / Linux
sudo npm install -g npm@latest

If you get a permissions error on Windows, open CMD as an administrator and rerun the command.

To open CMD as an administrator:

1. Click on the Search bar and type CMD.

2. Right-click on the Command Prompt application and click "Run as administrator".

3. Rerun the command.

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npm install -g npm@latest

npm install -g npm@latest --force

If that didn't work either, try using the --legacy-peer-deps flag.

# Try to run your npm install command with the --legacy-peer-deps flag

If none of the suggestions helped, try to run your npm install command with the --legacy-peer-deps flag.

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npm install --legacy-peer-deps

If you got the error when installing a specific module, add the --legacy-peer-deps flag at the end of the command.

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npm install react --legacy-peer-deps

Make sure to replace react with the name of the module you're trying to install.

Starting with NPM v7, NPM installs peerDependencies by default, which means that if you already have a peer dependency of the module installed, but not one of the specified by the module versions, NPM throws an error.

The --legacy-peer-deps flag tells NPM to ignore peer dependencies and to proceed with the installation anyway.

This was the default behavior in NPM versions 4 through 6.

In other words, NPM modules name specific versions of their peerDependencies.

If you have a different version of a peer dependency package installed, an error is raised unless you set the --legacy-peer-deps flag.

If that didn't help, try to download and install the long-term supported version of Node.js.

# Update your Node.js version to the LTS

To install the long-term supported version of Node.js:

1. Open the nodejs.org page and download the Windows installer for the LTS (long-term supported) version.

2. Start the installer and click Next on the Welcome screen.

3. Accept the end-user license agreement and click Next.

4. Leave the default destination folder selected and click Next.

5. On the "Custom Setup" screen, click Next.

6. You can optionally install tools for native modules, otherwise, click Next.

7. On the next screen, click on the Install button.

8. Lastly, click on the Finish button.

9. Make sure to close any existing shells for the PATH environment variable to get updated.

10. You can start a new shell and use the npm --version command to make sure Node is installed.

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npm --version

node --version

npm install -g npm@latest