How to switch to the x64 Node.js binary on macOS

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A couple of weeks ago I was trying to contribute a PR to VSCode, when I followed the guide trying to build all of the dependencies I encountered some errors.

Turns out I use the wrong Node.js.

But I didn't know how to switch to x64 Node.js binary.

$ node -v
v20.11.1
$ node -p process.arch
arm64

I use nvm to manage multiple Node.js versions on macOS.

After doing some research I found out Node.js support for Apple silicon since 15.x and above.

So each time I install a Node.js binary with nvm it will install arm64 cause the machine's architecture type is arm64.

How to install x64 Node.js version

Check the machine's architecture type

$ arch
arm64

Open a shell running in Rosetta

$ arch -x86_64 $SHELL --login
$ arch
i386

Then run nvm install

$ nvm install v20
$ node -p process.arch
x64

Reference

Support for Apple silicon

macOS troubleshooting