npm install fails on Windows: "Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, rename"

[barbalex]

I work on Windows 10, up to date installation.
npm i runs in powershell
node v5.2.0
npm v3.3.12

This error occures every time. I have repeated 5 times, deleting the node_modules folder beforehand.
I have also run it twice as administrator.
It works on my OsX notebook.

Here the error message in powershell:

npm WARN EPACKAGEJSON ae@1.0.0 No repository field.
npm ERR! Windows_NT 10.0.10586
npm ERR! argv "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe" "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js" "i"
npm ERR! node v5.2.0
npm ERR! npm  v3.3.12
npm ERR! path C:\Users\alex\ae\node_modules\.staging\escope-b5ac5ca528edb372dbff854e4a2941fb
npm ERR! code EPERM
npm ERR! errno -4048
npm ERR! syscall rename

npm ERR! Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, rename 'C:\Users\alex\ae\node_modules\.staging\escope-b5ac5ca528edb372db
ff854e4a2941fb' -> 'C:\Users\alex\ae\node_modules\escope'
npm ERR!     at Error (native)
npm ERR!  { [Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, rename 'C:\Users\alex\ae\node_modules\.staging\escope-b5ac5ca528edb3
72dbff854e4a2941fb' -> 'C:\Users\alex\ae\node_modules\escope']
npm ERR!   errno: -4048,
npm ERR!   code: 'EPERM',
npm ERR!   syscall: 'rename',
npm ERR!   path: 'C:\\Users\\alex\\ae\\node_modules\\.staging\\escope-b5ac5ca528edb372dbff854e4a2941fb',
npm ERR!   dest: 'C:\\Users\\alex\\ae\\node_modules\\escope',
npm ERR!   parent: 'ae' }
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Please try running this command again as root/Administrator.

npm ERR! Please include the following file with any support request:
npm ERR!     C:\Users\alex\ae\npm-debug.log

This is the complete log from npm-debug.log: https://gist.github.com/barbalex/da6100299bf5b76f19c2

This is the project: https://github.com/barbalex/ae
This is package.json: https://github.com/barbalex/ae/blob/master/package.json

[richardscarrott]

I was getting the same issue, npm cache clean fixed it for me :)

[barbalex]

@richardscarrott : thanks, will try that next time. Unfortunately this type of issues keep happening to me quite often so your tipp could turn out to be very helpful.

Don't ask me why but the next morning this issue had disappeared and npm i works nicely. So I close the issue but I'm quite sure it will return for me.

[defmans7]

I disabled Avast which allowed me to get around this issue.
https://www.webfoobar.com/node/39

[hsingh23]

Why was this issue closed? What was the root cause of this problem? Do we have to clear cache for every install?

[mohanr]

npm ERR! Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, open 'D:\WebstormProjects\Frisby
\node_modules\karma\node_modules\isbinaryfile\test\fixtures\pdf.pdf'

It happens. I run as admin.

[kneerunjun]

Yeah! npm cache clean worked for me too! cheers 🍷

[ganeshran]

npm cache clean fixed the issue for me too

[franklin-vidal]

Check if another application is using the project folder, like Atom editor. In my case i close Atom, run node and open editor again.

[john-osullivan]

I've gotten this issue in the past (and just got it again, prompting me to Google and remember) when the project folder I'm operating on is within Dropbox. Particularly after running generate commands which suddenly produce a lot of files, it seems like Dropbox's syncing code locks up files and prevents NPM from renaming as necessary.

[linfangwu]

Open cmd prompt by right clicking and then click "open as administrator"

[priiduneemre]

Also, be sure to disable your anti-malware and antivirus software temporarily. This solved the problem for me (Windows Antimalware Service & Avast Free Antivirus in my case).

[chrahunt]

I had this same issue and none of the above solutions worked. The specific operation that failed was

npm ERR! Error: EPERM: operation not permitted, rename 'c:\[...]\node_modules\node-sass' -> 'c:\[...]\node_modules\.node-sass.DELETE'

It seems like the problem was that .node-sass.DELETE already existed, as moving it allowed the installation to proceed.

[UnderZerOx]

@richardscarrott | TY, worked for me.

[Sandiejat]

yes, seems like either anti-virus is locking the installation folder for that particular file or the user is not with elevated rights. Disabling McAfee worked for me.