---
title: npm-outdated
section: 1
description: Check for outdated packages
---

### Synopsis

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### Description

This command will check the registry to see if any (or, specific) installed packages are currently outdated.

By default, only the direct dependencies of the root project and direct dependencies of your configured *workspaces* are shown.
Use `--all` to find all outdated meta-dependencies as well.

In the output:

* `wanted` is the maximum version of the package that satisfies the semver range specified in `package.json`.
  If there's no available semver range (i.e. you're running `npm outdated --global`, or the package isn't included in `package.json`), then `wanted` shows the latest version.
* `latest` is the version of the package tagged as latest in the registry.
  Running `npm publish` with no special configuration will publish the package with a dist-tag of `latest`.
  This may or may not be the maximum version of the package, or the most-recently published version of the package, depending on how the package's developer manages the latest [dist-tag](/commands/npm-dist-tag).
* `location` is where in the physical tree the package is located.
* `depended by` shows which package depends on the displayed dependency
* `package type` (when using `--long` / `-l`) tells you whether this package is a `dependency` or a dev/peer/optional dependency.
  Packages not included in `package.json` are always marked `dependencies`.
* `homepage` (when using `--long` / `-l`) is the `homepage` value contained in the package's packument
* `depended by location` (when using `--long` / `-l`) shows location of the package that depends on the displayed dependency
* Red means there's a newer version matching your semver requirements, so you should update now.
* Yellow indicates that there's a newer version _above_ your semver requirements (usually new major, or new 0.x minor) so proceed with caution.

### An example

```bash
$ npm outdated
Package      Current   Wanted   Latest  Location                  Depended by
glob          5.0.15   5.0.15    6.0.1  node_modules/glob         dependent-package-name
nothingness    0.0.3      git      git  node_modules/nothingness  dependent-package-name
npm            3.5.1    3.5.2    3.5.1  node_modules/npm          dependent-package-name
local-dev      0.0.3   linked   linked  local-dev                 dependent-package-name
once           1.3.2    1.3.3    1.3.3  node_modules/once         dependent-package-name
```

With these `dependencies`:
```json
{
  "glob": "^5.0.15",
  "nothingness": "github:othiym23/nothingness#master",
  "npm": "^3.5.1",
  "once": "^1.3.1"
}
```

A few things to note:

* `glob` requires `^5`, which prevents npm from installing `glob@6`, which is outside the semver range.
* Git dependencies will always be reinstalled, because of how they're specified.
  The installed committish might satisfy the dependency specifier (if it's something immutable, like a commit SHA), or it might not, so `npm outdated` and `npm update` have to fetch Git repos to check.
  This is why currently doing a reinstall of a Git dependency always forces a new clone and install.
* `npm@3.5.2` is marked as "wanted", but "latest" is `npm@3.5.1` because npm uses dist-tags to manage its `latest` and `next` release channels.
  `npm update` will install the _newest_ version, but `npm install npm` (with no semver range) will install whatever's tagged as `latest`.
* `once` is just plain out of date.
  Reinstalling `node_modules` from scratch or running `npm update` will bring it up to spec.

### Configuration

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### See Also

* [package spec](/using-npm/package-spec)
* [npm update](/commands/npm-update)
* [npm dist-tag](/commands/npm-dist-tag)
* [npm registry](/using-npm/registry)
* [npm folders](/configuring-npm/folders)
* [npm workspaces](/using-npm/workspaces)
