Fast, clean, no‑nonsense guide to installing the latest Node.js + npm on Windows using PowerShell.
(Works on Windows 10/11, no extra tooling required.)
1. Check if Node is already installed
node -v
npm -vIf both commands return “not recognized,” proceed.
2. Install Node.js (includes npm) — recommended method
The official Windows installer is the simplest and most reliable.
Option A — Download via PowerShell
Invoke-WebRequest https://nodejs.org/dist/latest/win-x64/node.exe -OutFile "$env:ProgramFiles\nodejs\node.exe"…but this gives you only the raw node.exe (no npm, no PATH setup).
So use Option B instead.
Option B — Use the official MSI installer (recommended)
From PowerShell:
Start-Process "https://nodejs.org/en/download/prebuilt-installer" This opens the official installer page. Download the Windows x64 .msi → run it → accept defaults:
- ✔ Add to PATH
- ✔ Install npm
- ✔ Install Node.js runtime
After installation, restart PowerShell.
3. Verify installation
node -v
npm -vYou should see something like:
v20.x.x
10.x.x
4. Update npm (optional but common)
npm install -g npm@latest5. (Optional) Install nvm-windows for easy version switching
If you want multiple Node versions:
winget install CoreyButler.NVMforWindowsThen:
nvm install latest
nvm use latest6. Quick sanity test
node -e "console.log('Node is working')"
npm init -yIf you want, I can also give you a minimal setup checklist, a script that installs everything automatically, or a guide for using Node with Quartz/Cloudflare Pages since you have those tabs open.
@Claude ○˒
(echo:: @ ᯤ ᯤ)