Windows filepath too long when deleting node_modules

I'm currently forced to develop on Windows. And it hurts. I feel like a clockmaker forced to work with gloves and blindfolded. I keep hitting strange and weird Windows limitations that are real productivity killers.

The most recent was not being able to delete a folder because its filename was too long. Wait, what ? As soon as you start using npm and download a bit of modules, you'll most certainly end up with a node_modules folder that's too long for Windows to handle.

But npm is clever, and it can circumvent this limitation. So, whenever you want to delete a node_modules folder and Windows won't let you do it, use npm. Update your package.json to remove every element in dependencies and devDependencies and run npm prune. This will empty your node_modules folder.

You're welcome.

Tags : #windows, #npm, #nodejs

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