Did you follow the instructions listed in the caveats?

[~] brew info nvm
nvm: stable 0.20.0, HEAD
https://github.com/creationix/nvm
Not installed
From: https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew/blob/master/Library/Formula/nvm.rb
==> Caveats
Add the following to $HOME/.bashrc, $HOME/.zshrc, or your shell's
equivalent configuration file:

  source $(brew --prefix nvm)/nvm.sh

Node installs will be lost upon upgrading nvm. Add the following above
the source line to move install location and prevent this:

  export NVM_DIR=~/.nvm

Without the extra config it doesn't look like it will find NVM by default..

Answer from Doon on Stack Overflow
🌐
ElderNode
eldernode.com › instant vps server › tutorials › fix: “zsh: command not found: nvm” error on mac
Fix: "zsh: command not found: nvm" Error on Mac - ElderNode
May 4, 2025 - Checking out nvm installation process, amending the .zshrc file by including necessary configurations and saving it for changes update will all enable you have nvm working properly without “command not found” errors.
🌐
GitHub
github.com › nvm-sh › nvm
GitHub - nvm-sh/nvm: Node Version Manager - POSIX-compliant bash script to manage multiple active node.js versions
If you get nvm: command not found after running the install script, one of the following might be the reason: Since macOS 10.15, the default shell is zsh and nvm will look for .zshrc to update, none is installed by default.
Starred by 90.4K users
Forked by 9.7K users
Languages   Shell 98.0% | Makefile 1.2%
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Linux Hint
linuxhint.com › zsh-command-not-found-reason-solution-mac
How to Fix- zsh command not found nvm error in Mac – Reason and Solution – Linux Hint
ZSH command not found nvm error in Mac can be fixed by installing the nvm through brew and adding the path zshrc file.
Top answer
1 of 4
8

It's mentioned in nvm Github readme.

TLDR

Copy below code to your .zshrc file:

export NVM_DIR="$([ -z "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME-}" ] && printf %s "${HOME}/.nvm" || printf %s "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/nvm")"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" # This loads nvm
2 of 4
5

if you take a closer look at nvm installation instructions, you will notice that there is an information about how to set a deeper shell integration.

it is even noted in brew

$ brew info nvm
...
==> Caveats
Please note that upstream has asked us to make explicit managing
nvm via Homebrew is unsupported by them and you should check any
problems against the standard nvm install method prior to reporting.

You should create NVM's working directory if it doesn't exist:

  mkdir ~/.nvm

Add the following to /Users/geek/.bash_profile or your desired shell
configuration file:

  export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
  [ -s "/usr/local/opt/nvm/nvm.sh" ] && . "/usr/local/opt/nvm/nvm.sh"  # This loads nvm
  [ -s "/usr/local/opt/nvm/etc/bash_completion.d/nvm" ] && . "/usr/local/opt/nvm/etc/bash_completion.d/nvm"  # This loads nvm bash_completion

You can set $NVM_DIR to any location, but leaving it unchanged from
/usr/local/opt/nvm will destroy any nvm-installed Node installations
upon upgrade/reinstall.

Type `nvm help` for further information.

Bash completion has been installed to:
  /usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d

since you are interested in zsh deeper shell integration, do this (i intentionally do not include a snippet from the official documentation, so it will be up-to-date)

🌐
Code2care
code2care.org › home page › q › zsh command not found nvm brew macos
[Fix] zsh: command not found: nvm | Code2care
September 9, 2023 - You should create NVM's working directory if it doesn't exist: mkdir ~/.nvm Add the following to ~/.zshrc or your desired shell configuration file: export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm" [ -s "/opt/homebrew/opt/nvm/nvm.sh" ] && . "/opt/homebrew/opt/nvm/nvm.sh" ...
Find elsewhere
🌐
Medium
medium.com › @agarwalprashant355 › how-do-i-install-nvm-802a66f2662
How do i install NVM?. If you get the error “zsh
December 8, 2022 - If you get the error “zsh: command not found: nvm” in your terminal, it means that the nvm command is not recognized by the shell. This can…
🌐
GitHub
github.com › nvm-sh › nvm › issues › 2060
After the nvm installation in the macbook, nvm: command not found, The following is the solution. · Issue #2060 · nvm-sh/nvm
June 8, 2019 - create .bash_profile file cd ~ touch .bash_profile open the file you just created open .bash_profile paste the following code inside the file export NVM_DIR=~/.nvm source ~/.nvm/nvm.sh run the source command after saving source .bash_pro...
Published   Jun 08, 2019
🌐
codestudy
codestudy.net › blog › homebrew-installs-nvm-but-nvm-can-t-be-found-afterwards
Homebrew nvm Installation: 'zsh: command not found' on macOS? Here’s Why & How to Fix
You must manually add these lines to tell zsh how to load nvm. The nvm documentation explicitly notes that Homebrew installations are "not supported" and may have "subtle issues." This is because Homebrew installs nvm in a non-standard directory, which can complicate shell integration. Homebrew installs packages in different locations depending on your macOS architecture: Intel Macs: /usr/local/Cellar/nvm/<version> Apple Silicon (M1/M2) Macs: /opt/homebrew/Cellar/nvm/<version> If your shell isn’t told where to find nvm (via NVM_DIR), it won’t locate the executable.
🌐
GitHub
github.com › nvm-sh › nvm › issues › 2311
NVM command not found after terminal restart. · Issue #2311 · nvm-sh/nvm
September 29, 2020 - nvm --version: v0.36.0 $TERM_PROGRAM: Apple_Terminal $SHELL: /bin/zsh $SHLVL: 1 whoami: 'tyleryoungblood' ${HOME}: /Users/tyleryoungblood ${NVM_DIR}: '${HOME}/.nvm' ${PATH}: ${NVM_DIR}/versions/node/v8.9.4/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin $PREFIX: '' ${NPM_CONFIG_PREFIX}: '' $NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR: '' $NVM_IOJS_ORG_MIRROR: '' shell version: 'zsh 5.7.1 (x86_64-apple-darwin19.0)' uname -a: 'Darwin 19.5.0 Darwin Kernel Version 19.5.0: Tue May 26 20:41:44 PDT 2020; root:xnu-6153.121.2~2/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64' checksum binary: 'shasum' OS version: Mac 10.15.5 19F101 curl: /usr/bin/c
Published   Sep 29, 2020
🌐
LambdaTest Community
community.lambdatest.com › general discussions
How to properly install nvm Mac when it's already installed but not recognized? - LambdaTest Community
July 3, 2025 - I’m trying to install nvm Mac on my system, but even after running the installation via Homebrew, the terminal doesn’t recognize the nvm command. I have Node.js working fine: $ node -v v21.3.0 But when I run: $ nvm -v zsh: command not found: nvm And when I try to install again: $ brew install nvm Warning: nvm 0.39.5 is already installed and up-to-date.
🌐
GitHub
github.com › nvm-sh › nvm › issues › 3440
zsh: command not found: node · Issue #3440 · nvm-sh/nvm
October 4, 2024 - in the .zshrc I inserted the following lines: export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm’ [ -s ‘$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh’ ] && . ‘$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh’ # This loads nvm [ -s ‘$NVM_DIR/bash_completion’ ] && .
Published   Oct 04, 2024
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
How to install nvm on Mac / Mac Terminal- Command not found: nvm - YouTube
In this video I am quickly showing how to install "nvm" or how to resolve the error: "command not found: nvm"- by Vladimir Heinz--- Hit that subscribe Button...
Published   November 5, 2021
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ThenodeWay
thenodeway.io › home › fix zsh ‘command not found’ error for nvm
Fix Zsh 'Command Not Found' Error for Nvm - ThenodeWay
March 14, 2024 - Ensure nvm is Added to the PATH. Even with nvm installed correctly, your system might fail to recognize the command if it’s not included in the PATH configuration. Rectify this by appending the following lines to your ~/.zshrc file:
🌐
Bobby Hadz
bobbyhadz.com › blog › nvm-command-not-found
nvm: command not found error [Solved] | bobbyhadz
~/.profile # 👇️ verify nvm installed command -v nvm · If running command -v nvm still returns nvm: command not found, check out the troubleshooting section in the nvm repository.