How to Fix the "laravel: command not found" Issue After Installing Laravel Installer with Composer

If you're trying to use the laravel command after installing the Laravel installer globally with Composer but encounter the error laravel: command not found, don’t worry. This is a common issue that can easily be resolved. In this article, we’ll walk through the steps to fix it and make sure everything is working correctly, including some extra considerations you might have missed.

Step 1: Verify Composer Installation

First, let's ensure that the Laravel Installer is installed properly. Run the following command to check:

composer global show laravel/installer

If the installation was successful, you should see version information for the Laravel installer. If not, try reinstalling it with the following command:

composer global require laravel/installer

This command should download and install the Laravel installer globally on your system. If you see any errors, make sure that your Composer setup is working correctly and that there are no network issues preventing the download.

Step 2: Check the Composer Global Bin Directory

Next, you need to check if the Composer global bin directory is included in your system's PATH. Composer installs globally required packages into a directory that needs to be accessible from anywhere in your terminal.

For most systems, this global directory is located in either of these locations:

• ~/.composer/vendor/bin (for older Composer versions)
• ~/.config/composer/vendor/bin (for newer Composer versions)

If the laravel command is still not found, it likely means that this directory is not in your PATH. You can fix this by adding it manually.

Step 3: Add the Composer Global Bin to PATH

To add the global Composer bin directory to your PATH, you need to modify your shell profile file (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or similar).

1. Open the appropriate profile file in your favorite text editor:

nano ~/.bashrc   # If you’re using Bash
nano ~/.zshrc    # If you’re using Zsh

2. Add the following line to the end of the file:

export PATH="$HOME/.composer/vendor/bin:$PATH"    # For older Composer versions
export PATH="$HOME/.config/composer/vendor/bin:$PATH"    # For newer Composer versions

3. Save and close the file, then reload it:

source ~/.bashrc    # Or source ~/.zshrc for Zsh users

By doing this, you’re making sure that the laravel command is accessible globally from any terminal session.

Step 4: Check if the laravel Command Works

Now that the path is set up, verify that the laravel command is recognized by the terminal. Run:

laravel --version

You should now see the version of the Laravel installer, indicating that everything is working correctly.

Extra Considerations

1. Ensure Proper Permissions
   If you're working on a shared server or using a custom setup, make sure that the permissions for the Composer bin directory and the laravel binary are set correctly. Sometimes, permission issues can cause the laravel command to be inaccessible. Run:

chmod -R 755 ~/.composer

2. Composer Autoloader
   If you're still facing issues, try clearing the Composer cache to ensure there’s no conflict or corruption with installed packages:

composer clear-cache

3. Ensure Composer Is Installed Globally
   If Composer itself is not globally accessible, that can also cause issues. To check if Composer is available globally, run:

composer --version

If Composer isn’t installed, you'll need to install it globally before proceeding.

4. Reinstall Laravel Installer
   In some rare cases, if the laravel command isn't found despite everything being set up, you may want to completely remove the Laravel installer and reinstall it:

composer global remove laravel/installer
composer global require laravel/installer

Finally

Fixing the laravel: command not found error is usually a matter of ensuring the global Composer bin directory is in your PATH. By following the steps outlined in this article, you should be able to fix the issue and start using the laravel command without problems. Make sure that the installation is successful, your environment variables are configured correctly, and Composer is accessible from any terminal session.

If you continue to run into issues, don’t hesitate to check the permissions on your Composer directories, clear your cache, or reinstall the Laravel installer. These are simple steps that can resolve most common problems with Laravel installation.

Support Us