Fix “Error Resolving Plugin: com.facebook.react.settings” in React Native

If you’re building a mobile app using React Native and suddenly see the dreaded error message: “Error Resolving Plugin: com.facebook.react.settings”, don’t panic! This guide will walk you through what it means and exactly how to fix it — with a smile and some caffeine (totally optional though).

First things first: What even is this error?

This tricky error pops up when Gradle, the build tool for Android, can’t locate a plugin. In this case, the plugin with the ID com.facebook.react.settings.

This plugin is introduced in recent versions of React Native to help customize some Android-specific settings. It’s great when it works, but sometimes things break. Let’s fix it together.

Here’s a simple breakdown of what’s going wrong:

• Gradle is trying to find a plugin.
• It looks in the wrong place or doesn’t know where to look.
• Result: Boom 💥 — error message.

Step-by-step fix (with sprinkles)

Step 1: Check your React Native version

The plugin com.facebook.react.settings is only available in React Native 0.71 and up. If you’re on an older version, this plugin might not even exist.

To check your version:

npx react-native --version

🛠 If you’re on 0.70 or earlier, you should remove the plugin from your build files. You can do this in android/build.gradle. Find this line:

id 'com.facebook.react.settings'

…and delete it. Done!

Step 2: Update your buildscript repositories

This is the most common cause of this error. Gradle just doesn’t know where to find the plugin. You need to tell it.

Open your android/build.gradle file. In the pluginManagement { repositories { ... } } section, make sure you include Gradle Plugin Portal, MavenCentral(), and Google().

Here’s what it should look like:

pluginManagement {
    repositories {
        gradlePluginPortal()
        mavenCentral()
        google()
    }
}

If any of these are missing, add them and sync your project.

Step 3: Add classpath in settings if missing

You might be missing a needed classpath in android/build.gradle.

Under buildscript { dependencies { ... } }, make sure this line exists:

classpath("com.facebook.react:react-native-gradle-plugin")

If it’s not there, add it in. This line tells Gradle how to fetch the tools needed for React Native builds.

Step 4: Clean and rebuild

After you’ve made the changes above, clean the project. It gets rid of any old configs that might be causing trouble.

cd android
./gradlew clean
cd ..
npx react-native run-android

Try the build again. With any luck, that error message has gone bye-bye 👋

What if you’re using an older version of React Native?

We touched on this earlier, but here’s a deeper explanation.

• React Native plugin settings were changed around version 0.71.
• If you’re on 0.70 or earlier, delete any mention of com.facebook.react.settings.
• You may also need to update other sections in your Gradle files to reflect changes since then.

Sometimes the best fix is to just upgrade. Easier said than done, we know!

Bonus Step: Check your versions

Make sure your Gradle itself is up to date with React Native’s requirements. Older Gradle versions can’t handle newer plugin syntax.

Where to look:

• android/build.gradle — Check Gradle plugin version.
• android/gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties — Check Gradle distribution version.

# In gradle-wrapper.properties
distributionUrl=https\://services.gradle.org/distributions/gradle-7.4-all.zip

This version may vary depending on your React Native version. Double-check the version compatible with your React Native setup using official docs or the CLI.

Still not working? Try these additional tips:

• Delete your node_modules: Sometimes a clean slate helps.
• rm -rf node_modules && npm install
• Delete .gradle and build folders: Helps solve stubborn issues.
• rm -rf android/.gradle android/app/build
• Sync your gradle project manually: Use Android Studio to open the android project and click “Sync Now”.

Big Tip: If others are working on this project, the error could also be caused by missing configuration in your setup. Be sure your SDK paths and environment variables are correct too!

An even bigger pro-tip: You can automate the fix using the React Native CLI!

React Native CLI now sets most of this automatically, especially if you’re creating a new project using:

npx react-native init MyApp

That way, you tend to avoid these sorts of errors — unless you’re migrating or customizing things.

Summary Time 🎉

Let’s do a fun recap. When you see:

Error: Plugin [id: 'com.facebook.react.settings'] was not found...

Do this:

1. Check your React Native version — the plugin only works on 0.71 and above.
2. Update your pluginManagement with proper repositories.
3. Add required classpaths in build.gradle.
4. Clean your Gradle with ./gradlew clean and try again.
5. Upgrade Gradle versions if needed.

Each of these steps gets you closer to a working build and hopefully, a sigh of relief.

Still having problems? Don’t forget tools like Stack Overflow, GitHub Issues, or the official React Native Discord. You’re not alone!

Now go build something awesome 🚀