Vite
Vite cannot start because the project path contains an ampersand on Windows
Error: Cannot find module 'C:\foo\bar&baz\vite\bin\vite.js'
Vite fails to start on Windows when the project path contains an ampersand, because npm path handling can break the CLI launch.
Observed message
Error: Cannot find module 'C:\foo\bar&baz\vite\bin\vite.js'
Why it happens
- The project folder path contains an ampersand character.
- npm path handling on Windows breaks when launching the Vite CLI from that path.
- The failure appears to be a missing module, but the root cause is the path itself.
How to fix it
- Move the project to a path that does not contain an ampersand.
- Use another package manager if changing the path is not practical.
- Reinstall dependencies after moving the project if the environment is still inconsistent.
