How to Initialize React Native Bare Workflow with Expo and TypeScript

Follow these steps to set up a React Native project with Expo's bare workflow and TypeScript support.

Step 1: Create the Project

Run the following command in your terminal from the directory where you want to initialize the project:

npx create-expo-app@latest your-app-name-here --template

Step 2: Select Template Options

The command will prompt you with the following options:

Need to install the following packages:
create-expo-app@3.5.1
Ok to proceed? (y) y
? Choose a template: › - Use arrow-keys. Return to submit.
    Default
    Blank
    Blank (TypeScript)
    Navigation (TypeScript)
❯   Blank (Bare)
    blank app with the native code exposed (expo prebuild)

• For the first prompt, type y

• For the template selection, navigate to and choose "Blank (Bare)"

Your project will be initialized with JavaScript after the dependencies are installed.

Step 3: Navigate and Configure TypeScript

Navigate to your newly created project directory:

cd your-app-name-here

Create a TypeScript configuration file:

touch tsconfig.json

Step 4: Start the Development Server

Run the project with the following command:

npm run start

Step 5: Install TypeScript Dependencies

The system will prompt you with a question like this:

> your-app-name@1.0.0 start
> expo start --dev-client
Could not find a shared URI scheme for the dev client between the local /ios and /android directories. App launches (QR code, interstitial, terminal keys) may not work as expected. You can configure a custom scheme using the --scheme option, or by running npx expo prebuild to regenerate the native directories with URI schemes.
Starting project at /path/to/your/project
Starting Metro Bundler
? It looks like you're trying to use TypeScript but don't have the required
dependencies installed. Would you like to install typescript@~5.8.3,
@types/react@~19.0.10? › (Y/n)

Type Y to install the TypeScript dependencies.

Step 6: Configure TypeScript

Add the following configuration to your tsconfig.json file:

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "strict": true
  },
  "extends": "expo/tsconfig.base"
}

You can add any other compiler options you need for your project.

Step 7: Convert Files to TypeScript

Finally, rename all .js files to .ts and change App.js to App.tsx.

Your React Native bare workflow project with TypeScript is now ready for development!