You can use zsh-nvm or enable it yourself by adding following lines to your ~/.zshrc

 export NVM_DIR=~/.nvm
 [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && . "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"

Extra:

For faster shell initialization, I use lazynvm which only loads node when needed

lazynvm() {
  unset -f nvm node npm
  export NVM_DIR=~/.nvm
  [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && . "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"  # This loads nvm
}

nvm() {
  lazynvm 
  nvm $@
}
 
node() {
  lazynvm
  node $@
}
 
npm() {
  lazynvm
  npm $@
}

npx() {
  lazynvm
  npx $@
}

Reference: Lazy load nvm for faster shell start

Answer from Ryan W on Stack Overflow
🌐
GitHub
gist.github.com › tomsihap › e703b9b063ecc101f5a4fc0b01a514c9
Install NVM in Ubuntu 18.04 with ZSH · GitHub
Install NVM in Ubuntu 18.04 with ZSH. GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets.
🌐
Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 47009776 › how-to-run-nvm-in-oh-my-zsh
npm - How to run "nvm" in "oh my zsh"? - Stack Overflow
Top answer
1 of 9
202

You can use zsh-nvm or enable it yourself by adding following lines to your ~/.zshrc

 export NVM_DIR=~/.nvm
 [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && . "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"

Extra:

For faster shell initialization, I use lazynvm which only loads node when needed

lazynvm() {
  unset -f nvm node npm
  export NVM_DIR=~/.nvm
  [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && . "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"  # This loads nvm
}

nvm() {
  lazynvm 
  nvm $@
}
 
node() {
  lazynvm
  node $@
}
 
npm() {
  lazynvm
  npm $@
}

npx() {
  lazynvm
  npx $@
}

Reference: Lazy load nvm for faster shell start

2 of 9
196

Switching from Bash to Oh-My-Zsh

If you already have nvm installed and you're switching from bash to oh-my-zsh you can simply open up your .zshrc file and add the nvm plugin that is included with oh-my-zsh:

  1. Open your zsh config file.zshrc in nano with this command: nano ~/.zshrc
  2. Scroll down to where it shows plugins=(git) and add nvm inside the parentheses to make it show as plugins=(git nvm) (separate plugins with spaces)
  3. Press control + O (on macOS), then enter, to save, then press control + X to exit
  4. Then open a new terminal window/tab and enter nvm ls to confirm it works. Note that you must open a new window/tab for your shell to use the newly updated .zshrc config (or enter source ~/.zshrc, etc.)

Source: https://github.com/robbyrussell/oh-my-zsh/tree/master/plugins/nvm

🌐
Ask Ubuntu
askubuntu.com › questions › 1208756 › add-nvm-to-zsh-path
nodejs - Add nvm to zsh path - Ask Ubuntu
Top answer
1 of 1
6

The README for nvm here has some important hints for you. When installing manually, the doc suggests that you can add the following to your .zshrc file:

export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"  # This loads nvm
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion"  # This loads nvm bash_completion

I suspect you are missing the first line. What does echo $NVM_DIR show you?

But even better, if you are using a plugin manager, such as Oh My Zsh (and you should be), you can simply install the zsh-nvm plugin by adding "nvm" to your list of plugins.

🌐
DEV Community
dev.to › saanchitapaul › install-nvm-node-version-manager-inside-zsh-34ke
Install nvm (Node Version Manager) inside zsh - DEV Community
March 16, 2023 - To install nvm (Node Version Manager) inside zsh, you can follow these steps: Open your terminal and... Tagged with nvm, node, zsh, linux.
🌐
GitHub
github.com › nvm-sh › nvm
GitHub - nvm-sh/nvm: Node Version Manager - POSIX-compliant bash script to manage multiple active node.js versions
Create one with touch ~/.zshrc and run the install script again. If you use bash, the previous default shell, your system may not have .bash_profile or .bashrc files where the command is set up.
Starred by 90.3K users
Forked by 9.7K users
Languages   Shell 98.0% | Makefile 1.2%
🌐
Medium
medium.com › @shaxzad544 › install-nvm-node-version-manager-in-zsh-on-a-linux-system-follow-these-simple-steps-4d5dc355428f
Install nvm (Node Version Manager) in zsh on a Linux system, follow these simple steps: | by shaxzad ali | Medium
December 28, 2023 - Install nvm (Node Version Manager) in zsh on a Linux system, follow these simple steps: First, open your terminal. 2. Type cd ~ to go to your home directory. 3. Type git clone …
🌐
Boekhoff
boekhoff.info › how-to-install-nodejs-and-npm-using-nvm-and-zsh-nvm
How to install NodeJS and NPM using NVM and Zsh-NVM?
Load Zsh-NVM as a Zsh-plugin. Therefore simply add plugins+=(zsh-nvm) to your ~/.zshrc. When opening a new terminal window, NVM will be automatically installed by Zsh-NVM.
🌐
GoLinuxCloud
golinuxcloud.com › home › ubuntu › how to install nvm on ubuntu? [solved]
How to install NVM on Ubuntu? [SOLVED] | GoLinuxCloud
January 1, 2024 - * (HEAD detached at FETCH_HEAD) master => Compressing and cleaning up git repository => Appending nvm source string to /home/foc/.bashrc => Appending bash_completion source string to /home/foc/.bashrc => Close and reopen your terminal to start using nvm or run the following to use it now: export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm" [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" # This loads nvm [ -s "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" # This loads nvm bash_completion · Reload the .bashrc: foc@ubuntu22:~$ source ~/.bashrc · If you are using different shell the command should be different, For example: zsh: source ~/.zshrc · ksh: . ~/.profile · Installed NVM version: foc@ubuntu22:~$ nvm --version 0.39.2 ·
🌐
Jimfrenette
jimfrenette.com › 2018 › 04 › wsl-ubuntu-zsh-nvm-etc
WSL ubuntu zsh nvm etc. | JimFrenette.com
By default, Yarn installs nodejs as a system-wide dependency. After updating your .zshrc profile to load the nvm plugin, close and re-open the Ubuntu app and to install nvm when the plugin is loaded for the first time.
Find elsewhere
🌐
TecAdmin
tecadmin.net › how-to-install-nvm-on-ubuntu-20-04
How To Install NVM on Ubuntu 20.04 – TecAdmin
April 26, 2025 - Here is the step-by-step instructions to install and use NVM on Ubuntu systems.
🌐
HowtoForge
howtoforge.com › home › how to install and use nvm (node version manager) on ubuntu 22.04
How to Install and Use NVM (Node Version Manager) on Ubuntu 22.04
By default, NVM is not included in the Ubuntu default repository. So you will need to install it from the script.
🌐
Qirolab
qirolab.com › posts › how-to-install-nvm-node-version-manager-on-ubuntu-system
How To Install NVM (Node Version Manager) on Ubuntu System? | Qirolab
January 16, 2021 - curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.37.2/install.sh | bash · The script clones the nvm repository to ~/.nvm, and attempts to add the source lines from the snippet below to the correct profile file (~/.bash_profile, ~/.zshrc, ~/.profile, or ~/.bashrc).
🌐
Medium
medium.com › @agarwalprashant355 › how-do-i-install-nvm-802a66f2662
How do i install NVM?. If you get the error “zsh
December 8, 2022 - You can do this by running source ~/.zshrc (or the path to your shell configuration file) in your terminal. Once nvm is installed and properly configured in your shell, you should be able to run the nvm command without getting the "zsh: command not found: nvm" error.
🌐
GitHub
github.com › lukechilds › zsh-nvm
GitHub - lukechilds/zsh-nvm: Zsh plugin for installing, updating and loading nvm
Zsh plugin for installing, updating and loading nvm - lukechilds/zsh-nvm
Starred by 2.4K users
Forked by 119 users
Languages   Shell
🌐
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
#6: Install NVM (Node Version Manager) | Setup Web Development Environment Ubuntu - YouTube
05:57
nvm is a version manager for node.js, Using the NVM tool makes it easier to install and manage multiple versions of Node.js on a single local environment.In ...
Published   February 1, 2021
🌐
idroot
idroot.us › home › how to install nvm on ubuntu 22.04 lts
How To Install NVM on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS - idroot
June 24, 2024 - Step 1. To ensure a smooth installation process, it’s essential to update your Ubuntu system and install the necessary build tools. Follow these steps to prepare your system: sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade sudo apt install wget apt-transport-https gnupg2 software-properties-common · Step 2. Installing NVM on Ubuntu 22.04.
🌐
Communityhealthtoolkit
forum.communityhealthtoolkit.org › technical support
Error while piping nvm to zsh shell during installation - Technical Support - Community Health Toolkit
May 24, 2023 - Hi everyone, I am using Ubuntu 22.04 and on zsh shell. While following the instructions to Install NodeJS, npm, and Docker as part of the CHT Core dev environment setup I ran into an issue. I ran the first command and that worked as expected. export nvm_version=`curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/nvm-sh/nvm/releases/latest | jq -r .name` However, when I ran the second command curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/$nvm_version/install.sh | $SHELL .
🌐
PhoenixNAP
phoenixnap.com › home › kb › devops and development › how to install nvm on ubuntu
How to Install NVM on Ubuntu | phoenixNAP KB
April 24, 2025 - Note: For other shells, adjust the profile accordingly (e.g., ~/.zshrc for zsh). 4. Check the NVM version to verify the installation: ... Once NVM is installed and running on your Ubuntu system, you can manage multiple Node.js versions.
🌐
freeCodeCamp
freecodecamp.org › news › node-version-manager-nvm-install-guide
Node Version Manager – NVM Install Guide
September 9, 2022 - The installation process from step 1 should also automatically add the nvm configuration to your profile. If you're using zsh, that would be ~/.zshrc.
🌐
Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 16904658 › node-version-manager-install-nvm-command-not-found
node.js - Node Version Manager install - nvm command not found - Stack Overflow
Top answer
1 of 16
2056

I think you missed this step:

source ~/.nvm/nvm.sh

You can run this command on the bash OR you can put it in the file /.bashrc or ~/.profile or ~/.zshrc to automatically load it

https://github.com/creationix/nvm

2 of 16
684

Check your .bash_profile, .zshrc, or .profile file. You most likely had a problem during the installation.

You should have the following at the end of one of those files.

[[ -s $HOME/.nvm/nvm.sh ]] && . $HOME/.nvm/nvm.sh  # This loads NVM

The . $HOME/.nvm/nvm.sh is the same as source $HOME/.nvm/nvm.sh

See: Sourcing a File

You can also check to see if you have a .nvm folder.

ls -a | grep .nvm

If you're missing that folder then the installation failed to run the git command. This could be due to being behind a proxy. Try running the following instead.

git clone http://github.com/creationix/nvm.git .nvm