This is a targeted summary of setup React Native setup for specifically React Native Windows. See the React Native Getting Started Guide for full details.
Note: The Linux commands in the offical React Native Getting Started Guide should work on the Windows Subsystem for Linux bash shell, but this scenario is not currently officially supported. PowerShell or the Visual Studio Developer Command Prompt are recommended.
Install the dependencies specified by React Native. Specifically, make sure a recent version of Node is installed.
Chocolatey is the React Native recommended installation method. On an elevated Command Prompt, run:
choco install nodejs
Next, we need the React Native command line interface. Install using NPM:
npm install -g react-native-cli
Next, generate a React Native project. In the directory you would like your React Native Windows project directory, run:
react-native init <project name>
Navigate into this newly created directory:
cd <project name>
Now we need to install the React Native Windows command line interface (rnpm-plugin-windows).
If you haven't already done so, navigate into your React Native project directory.
If you are using NPM, run
npm install --save-dev rnpm-plugin-windows
If you are using Yarn, run
yarn add rnpm-plugin-windows --dev
Initialize your React Native Windows project in the project directory by running:
react-native windows
Make sure you have installed all requirements for React Native Windows. These requirements are necessary to build and run your application.
React Native Windows is not currently supported by Expo. If you have a React Native project created by create-react-native-app on which you would like to develop React Native Windows, you can eject your app from Expo.
- Open the solution file in the application folder in Visual Studio (e.g.,
AwesomeProject/windows/AwesomeProject.sln
)- Note: If this is your first time doing UWP development on the computer you're using, you may be asked to install additional UWP tooling. After opening the solution, right click the Solution in the
Solution Explorer
and select the option labeledInstall Missing Components
. You may have to shutdown Visual Studio to continue the installation.
- Note: If this is your first time doing UWP development on the computer you're using, you may be asked to install additional UWP tooling. After opening the solution, right click the Solution in the
- Note: If you are using Visual Studio 2017, you will need to retarget the ChakraBridge project. Right click the ChakraBridge project:
- If there is not a retarget option:
- Select "Reload", and the Visual Studio installer will open.
- Make sure to close Visual Studio before installing
- Make sure the 10.0.14393.0 Windows 10 SDK is selected along with any other preselected components, and click
Modify
in the installer to install the components - Retargeting the ChakraBridge project should be possible, so proceed to the next instructions regarding if there is a retarget option
- If there is a retarget option:
- Retarget by right clicking on the ChakraBridge project in the Solution Explorer and selecting
Retarget Projects
and pressingOK
on the popup dialog (Platform Toolset should sayUpgrade to v141
in the dialog).
- Retarget by right clicking on the ChakraBridge project in the Solution Explorer and selecting
- If there is not a retarget option:
- Select the
Debug
configuration and thex64
platform from the combo box controls to the left of theRun
button and underneath theTeam
andTools
menu item.- Note: If you are running on, or targeting, an x86 platform select
x86
instead. If you are deploying to Windows 10 Phone, selectARM
.
- Note: If you are running on, or targeting, an x86 platform select
- Run
react-native start
from your project directory, and wait for the React Native packager to report success. - Click the
Run
button to the right of the platform combo box control, or select theDebug
->Start without Debugging
menu item. You now see your new app! 🎉
Note: You should only modify the project and source files for your app (e.g. AwesomeProject
). The files for the "ReactNative" and other projects shown in the Visual Studio solution are in the node_modules
directory (which will not be committed to your source repository since it is ignored in .gitignore
). Any changes to files in node_modules
will be overwritten when doing an npm install
or npm update
. If you need to add a new native module or override some React Native behavior, see Extending React Native
In your React Native Windows project directory, run:
react-native run-windows
A new Command Prompt window will open with the React packager as well as a React Native Windows app. You can now start developing! 🎉
- For more information about how to deploy to Windows simulators/devices, and how to create a bundle for Release, view RunningOnDeviceWindows
- Learn more about various tools for debugging React Native.
If you happen to run into issues while setting up React Native Windows on your machine, check out the Setup Troubleshooting documentation.