# Error loading settings file: /data/settings.js

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-loading-settings-file-data-settings-js/87608>\
**Category:** General\
**Tags:** docker\
**Created:** [30 April 2024 08:31 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-loading-settings-file-data-settings-js/87608 "2024-04-30T08:31:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mil05h](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/mil05h/32/90582_2.png) [@Mil05h](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Mil05h)\
**Post date:** [30 April 2024 08:31 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-loading-settings-file-data-settings-js/87608/1 "2024-04-30T08:31:20Z")

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Hi, I have issues to run node-red locally using `docker-compose up`. My colleagues are using Mac and Linux and can run the remote repo locally. I am using Windows, and am getting this error:

````auto
Attaching to nodered-1
nodered-1 | Error loading settings file: /data/settings.js
nodered-1 exited with code 1```

````

That happens when I install project packages using npm.  
It works fine when I install them using yarn, but we need to use npm, as there are some other issues with yarn.  
As a setup for the project using npm works for colleagues on Mac and Linux I guess there are some inconsistencies with Windows, or access, any ideas?

Thanks!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![homeplayer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/homeplayer/32/12388_2.png) [@homeplayer](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/homeplayer)\
**Post date:** [30 April 2024 12:14 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-loading-settings-file-data-settings-js/87608/2 "2024-04-30T12:14:11Z")

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please share your settings file, now we cant see whats wrong

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**Author:** ![Colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/colin/32/17040_2.png) [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)\
**Post date:** [30 April 2024 12:26 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-loading-settings-file-data-settings-js/87608/3 "2024-04-30T12:26:12Z")

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> [@Mil05h](#):
>
> That happens when I install packages using npm.

When exactly does that message appear?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mil05h](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/mil05h/32/90582_2.png) [@Mil05h](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Mil05h)\
**Post date:** [30 April 2024 13:47 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-loading-settings-file-data-settings-js/87608/5 "2024-04-30T13:47:50Z")

</div>

I cannot share the settings.js file. It is configured well, the issue is not there, as it works fine for others.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mil05h](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/mil05h/32/90582_2.png) [@Mil05h](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Mil05h)\
**Post date:** [30 April 2024 13:48 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-loading-settings-file-data-settings-js/87608/6 "2024-04-30T13:48:29Z")

</div>

![err](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/6/f/6f16a6ad8f9596942b9caa8947fdc201f76c45fb.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![homeplayer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/homeplayer/32/12388_2.png) [@homeplayer](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/homeplayer)\
**Post date:** [30 April 2024 13:51 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-loading-settings-file-data-settings-js/87608/7 "2024-04-30T13:51:00Z")

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i dont think so, ```  
Error loading settings file: /data/settings.js

```auto

there is your problem
what is you do node-red-stop
node-red-start
```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![UnborN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/4491bb/32.png) [@UnborN](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/UnborN)\
**Post date:** [30 April 2024 14:55 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-loading-settings-file-data-settings-js/87608/8 "2024-04-30T14:55:37Z")

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Rename your `settings.js` file to `settings.bak` and restart your docker container

From the Node-red Manual :

> When Node-RED starts, it looks for a file called `settings.js` in your Node-RED user directory, `~/.node-red`. If it does not find one there, it will copy in a default settings file to that directory and use it.

This would create a new default `settings.js` just as a test to eliminate the possibility of it being a misconfiguration in the file

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/colin/32/17040_2.png) [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)\
**Post date:** [30 April 2024 16:02 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-loading-settings-file-data-settings-js/87608/9 "2024-04-30T16:02:26Z")

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What I don't understand is what this has got to do with installing nodes via npm. npm does not touch settings.js.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/1X/d073cd938eafa2e558d7c2cd59003b3ef4963033.png) [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [29 July 2024 16:03 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-loading-settings-file-data-settings-js/87608/10 "2024-07-29T16:03:22Z")

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