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Get Started with Windows

This guide will help you get started on setting up your very first React Native for Windows app.

Make sure you have installed all of the development dependencies.

For information around how to set up React Native, see the React Native Getting Started Guide.

Interested in migrating to React Native's New Architecture? New Architecture support in React Native for Windows is now available to preview in 0.76. Note there are several key changes, so if you’d like to be an early adopter, check out the information in the New Architecture Guide.

Create a new React Native project

Call the following from the place where you want your project directory to live:

npx --yes @react-native-community/cli@latest init <projectName> --version "^0.79.0"

Navigate into this newly created directory

The command will create your project in a new sub-directory, which you must enter before continuing:

cd <projectName>

Add React Native Windows to your project's dependencies

Next you'll want to add react-native-windows as a dependency:

Using Yarn (Recommended)

Using NPM

yarn add react-native-windows@^0.79.0

npm install --save react-native-windows@^0.79.0

Initialize the React Native Windows native code and projects

Lastly, initialize the React Native for Windows application with the init-windows command:

npx react-native init-windows --overwrite

Note: RNW templates contain a customized metro.config.js file, which is meant to merge cleanly into the default config provided by the standard React Native project template. If you are starting a new app, overwriting metro.config.js should have no impact. However, if you are adding Windows to an existing app with an already modified metro.config.js file, please make sure to back up and re-apply your modifications after adding RNW.

Running a React Native Windows App

Make sure a browser is launched and running before running a React Native Windows app. Also ensure your system meets all the requirements to build a Windows app as well.

• Without Using Visual Studio

  In your React Native Windows project directory, run the run-windows command:

  npx react-native run-windows
  

  A new Command Prompt window will open with the React packager as well as your React Native for Windows app. This step may take a while during first run since it involves building the entire project and all dependencies. You can now start developing! :tada:

• Using Visual Studio

  • From the root of the project directory, run the autolink-windows command, which will automatically link your app's dependencies:

    npx react-native autolink-windows
    

  • Open the solution file in the application folder in Visual Studio (e.g., AwesomeProject/windows/AwesomeProject.sln if you used AwesomeProject as <projectName>)
  • Select the Debug configuration and the x64 platform from the combo box controls to the left of the Run button and underneath the Team and Tools menu item.
  • Run yarn start (or npm 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 in VS, or select the Debug->Start without Debugging menu item. You now see your new app and Chrome should have loaded http://localhost:8081/debugger-ui/ in a new tab. Press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I in Chrome to open its Developer Tools. :tada:

• With VS Code

  • Open your applications folder in VS Code.
  • Install the React Native Tools plugin for VS Code.
  • Create a new file in the applications root directory, .vscode/launch.json and paste the following configuration:

  {
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
      {
        "name": "Debug Windows",
        "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
        "type": "reactnative",
        "request": "launch",
        "platform": "windows"
      }
    ]
  }
  

  • Press F5 or navigate to the debug menu (alternatively press Ctrl+Shift+D) and in the Debug drop-down select "Debug Windows" and press the green arrow to run the application.

Authoring Native Modules

See Native Platform: Overview.

Building a standalone React Native Windows App

Follow these steps to build a version of your app that you can install or publish to the store. This version will package your bundle and assets into the APPX package so you don't need to run Metro.

• Open the solution in Visual Studio
• Select the Release configuration from the Configuration Manager drop-down.
• Build the solution. You can now launch without first launching Metro.
• If you want to build an APPX package to share or publish, use the Project > Publish > Create App Packages... option.

The Debug configuration uses the Web Debugger by default, which means the application's JavaScript code runs in Chrome.
If you're getting different runtime behavior between the Release and Debug configurations, consider disabling the UseWebDebugger setting in App.cpp or App.xaml.cs to get the same behavior in the Debug configuration.

See also this article for additional details: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-dev-appconsult/getting-started-with-react-native-for-windows/ba-p/912093#