I hit this error last week while setting up a fresh development environment on a new MacBook. I was trying to install create-react-app globally and got slapped with a wall of red text. After trying 4 different solutions, here’s what actually worked — and why.

The Error

npm ERR! code EACCES
npm ERR! syscall access
npm ERR! path /usr/local/lib/node_modules
npm ERR! errno -13
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Error: EACCES: permission denied, access '/usr/local/lib/node_modules'
npm ERR!  { [Error: EACCES: permission denied, access '/usr/local/lib/node_modules']
npm ERR!   stack: 'Error: EACCES: permission denied...',
npm ERR!   errno: -13,
npm ERR!   code: 'EACCES',
npm ERR!   syscall: 'access',
npm ERR!   path: '/usr/local/lib/node_modules' }

What it means: Your system is blocking npm from writing files to a directory it doesn’t have permission to access — typically when installing packages globally with npm install -g.

Why This Happens

This error occurs when:

  • npm tries to write to system-owned directories without the right permissions (most common on macOS and Linux)
  • You’re installing packages globally without elevated privileges
  • File permissions got corrupted from a previous sudo npm install that changed ownership
  • Your npm prefix points to a protected directory like /usr/local/lib/node_modules

The Fix (Tested Solutions)

The simplest fix is to stop installing packages globally altogether. Modern npm ships with npx, which runs packages without installing them globally.

Instead of:

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npm install -g create-react-app
create-react-app my-app

Do this:

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npx create-react-app my-app

This works because npx downloads and runs the package in a temporary directory that doesn’t require elevated permissions.

When to use this: If you only need to run a CLI tool occasionally (scaffolding tools, generators, etc.), npx is always the better choice.

Solution 2: Change npm’s Default Directory (Permanent Fix)

If you genuinely need global packages (like nodemon or pm2), the official npm recommendation is to change where global packages are stored.

Step 1: Create a directory for global installations:

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mkdir ~/.npm-global

Step 2: Configure npm to use the new directory:

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npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'

Step 3: Add it to your PATH. Open ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or ~/.profile and add:

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export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH

Step 4: Reload your shell configuration:

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source ~/.bashrc   # or source ~/.zshrc

Step 5: Test it:

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npm install -g nodemon
nodemon --version

No more permission errors.

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sudo npm install -g <package-name>

⚠️ Warning: This works but creates more problems than it solves. Files installed with sudo are owned by root, which means future npm operations in that directory will also require sudo. You’ll end up in a permission spiral. Use Solution 2 instead.

Tested On

  • ✅ Windows 11 (PowerShell) — typically doesn’t hit this error unless using WSL
  • ✅ macOS Sonoma 14.x
  • ✅ Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
  • ✅ npm version 10.x and 9.x

Prevention

  • Use npx for one-off CLI tools instead of global installs
  • Use nvm (Node Version Manager) to manage Node.js — it installs to your home directory by default, avoiding permission issues entirely
  • Never use sudo with npm — if you need sudo, your setup needs fixing
  • Set up your global prefix on fresh systems before installing anything globally

FAQ

Q: Is this error Windows-specific? A: No, but it’s most common on macOS and Linux. On Windows, the equivalent is usually npm ERR! code EPERM, which is a different error code but similar root cause.

Q: Should I use nvm instead of fixing permissions? A: Yes, nvm is the best long-term solution. It installs Node.js and npm in your home directory, so you never hit permission issues. Install it from nvm-sh/nvm.

Q: I already used sudo and now everything is broken. How do I fix it? A: You need to reclaim ownership of the npm directories:

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sudo chown -R $(whoami) /usr/local/lib/node_modules
sudo chown -R $(whoami) ~/.npm

Then follow Solution 2 to prevent it from happening again.

Last verified: February 14, 2026