How to install Node.js in WSL2 using nvm

Installing Node.js with nvm

Installing Node.js via apt gives you an outdated version with broken global package permissions. The correct approach is nvm (Node Version Manager), which installs Node in your home directory without needing sudo.

Install nvm

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc

Install and use a Node version

nvm install 20
nvm install --lts
nvm use 20
nvm alias default 20
node --version
npm --version

Switching versions per project

nvm install 18
nvm use 18

# Or use .nvmrc in the project root:
echo "20" > .nvmrc
nvm use

Installing global npm packages

npm install -g pnpm
npm install -g nodemon
npm install -g typescript

Because nvm installs Node inside ~/.nvm, global packages install there too — no sudo required, no permission errors.