Hey there! I’ve run into this exact error before, and it’s almost always tied to system environment setup or cached project files. Let’s work through the fixes step by step:

1. Check if C:\Windows\System32 is in your Path Environment Variable #

The spawn cmd ENOENT error means your system can’t locate the cmd.exe executable, which lives in C:\Windows\System32. Here’s how to fix this:

• Right-click "This PC" → "Properties" → "Advanced system settings" → "Environment Variables"
• Under "System variables", find the Path variable and double-click it
• Look for C:\Windows\System32 in the list. If it’s missing, click "New" and paste that path
• Save all changes, then close every open cmd/PowerShell window and open a fresh one before running yarn start again. Old windows won’t pick up the updated environment variables otherwise.

2. Clear Cache and Reinstall Dependencies #

Corrupted node modules or cached files can cause weird spawn errors too. Run these commands in your project directory:

# Clean Yarn's local cache
yarn cache clean

# Remove existing node modules folder
rm -rf node_modules

# Reinstall all project dependencies
yarn install

If that doesn’t work, try resetting the Metro bundler cache specifically:

yarn start --reset-cache

3. Verify Your Node.js Version #

React Native plays best with LTS (Long-Term Support) versions of Node.js. Outdated or unstable versions can trigger compatibility issues. Check your current version with:

node -v

If you need to switch versions, use a tool like nvm (Node Version Manager) to install and switch to a recommended LTS version (like 18.x or 20.x).

4. Last Resort: Restart Your Computer #

Sometimes environment variable changes or stuck system processes don’t take effect until a full reboot. If none of the above works, give your PC a quick restart and try running yarn start again.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Raja Tayyab