migrate-nativewind-to-uniwind

Migrate NativeWind to Uniwind

Uniwind replaces NativeWind with better performance and stability. It requires Tailwind CSS 4 and uses CSS-based theming instead of JS config.

Pre-Migration Checklist

Before starting, read the project's existing config files to understand the current setup:

• package.json (NativeWind version, dependencies)
• tailwind.config.js / tailwind.config.ts
• metro.config.js
• babel.config.js
• global.css or equivalent CSS entry file
• nativewind-env.d.ts or nativewind.d.ts
• Any file using cssInterop or remapProps from nativewind
• Any file importing from react-native-css-interop
• Any ThemeProvider from NativeWind (vars() usage)

Step 1: Remove NativeWind and Related Packages

Uninstall ALL of these packages (if present):

npm uninstall nativewind react-native-css-interop
# or
yarn remove nativewind react-native-css-interop
# or
bun remove nativewind react-native-css-interop

CRITICAL: react-native-css-interop is a NativeWind dependency that must be removed. It is commonly missed during migration. Search the entire codebase for any imports from it:

Remove every import and usage found.

Step 2: Install Uniwind and Tailwind 4

Ensure tailwindcss is version 4+.

Step 3: Update babel.config.js

Remove the NativeWind babel preset:

No Uniwind babel preset is needed.

Step 4: Update metro.config.js

Replace NativeWind's metro config with Uniwind's. withUniwindConfig must be the outermost wrapper.

Before (NativeWind):

After (Uniwind):

cssEntryFile must be a relative path string from project root (e.g. ./global.css or ./app/global.css). Do not use absolute paths or path.resolve(...) / path.join(...) for this option.

Always set polyfills.rem to 14 to match NativeWind's default rem value and prevent spacing/sizing differences after migration.

If the project uses custom themes beyond light/dark (e.g. defined via NativeWind's vars() or a custom ThemeProvider), register them with extraThemes. Do NOT include light or dark — they are added automatically:

Options:

• cssEntryFile (required): relative path string to CSS entry file (from project root)
• polyfills.rem (required for migration): set to 14 to match NativeWind's rem base
• extraThemes (required if project has custom themes): array of custom theme names — do NOT include light/dark
• dtsFile (optional): path for generated TypeScript types, defaults to ./uniwind-types.d.ts
• debug (optional): log unsupported CSS properties during dev

Step 5: Update global.css

Replace NativeWind's Tailwind 3 directives with Tailwind 4 imports:

Before:

After:

Step 6: Update CSS Entry Import

Ensure global.css is imported in your main App component (e.g., App.tsx), NOT in the root index.ts/index.js where you register the app — importing there breaks hot reload.

Step 7: Delete NativeWind Type Definitions

Delete nativewind-env.d.ts or nativewind.d.ts. Uniwind auto-generates its own types at the path specified by dtsFile.

Step 8: Delete tailwind.config.js

Remove tailwind.config.js / tailwind.config.ts entirely. All theme config moves to CSS using Tailwind 4's @theme directive.

Migrate custom theme values to global.css:

Before (tailwind.config.js):

After (global.css):

Font families must specify a single font — React Native doesn't support font fallbacks.

Step 9: Remove ALL cssInterop and remapProps Usage

This is the most commonly missed step. Search the entire codebase:

Replace every cssInterop() / remapProps() call with Uniwind's withUniwind():

Before (NativeWind):

After (Uniwind):

withUniwind automatically maps className → style and other common props. For custom prop mappings:

Define wrapped components at module level (not inside render functions). Each component should only be wrapped once:

• Used in one file only — define the wrapped component in that same file:

  // screens/ProfileScreen.tsx
  import { withUniwind } from 'uniwind';
  import { BlurView as RNBlurView } from '@react-native-community/blur';
   
  const BlurView = withUniwind(RNBlurView);
   
  export function ProfileScreen() {
    return <BlurView className="flex-1" />;
  }

• Used across multiple files — wrap once in a shared module and re-export:

  // components/styled.ts
  import { withUniwind } from 'uniwind';
  import { Image as ExpoImage } from 'expo-image';
  import { LinearGradient as RNLinearGradient } from 'expo-linear-gradient';
   
  export const Image = withUniwind(ExpoImage);
  export const LinearGradient = withUniwind(RNLinearGradient);

  Then import from the shared module everywhere:

  import { Image, LinearGradient } from '@/components/styled';

Never call withUniwind on the same component in multiple files — wrap once, import everywhere.

IMPORTANT: Do NOT wrap components from react-native or react-native-reanimated with withUniwind — they already support className out of the box. This includes View, Text, Image, ScrollView, FlatList, Pressable, TextInput, Animated.View, etc. Only use withUniwind for third-party components (e.g. expo-image, expo-linear-gradient, @react-native-community/blur).

IMPORTANT — accent- prefix for non-style color props: React Native components have props like color, tintColor, backgroundColor that are NOT part of the style object. To set these via Tailwind classes, use the accent- prefix with the corresponding *ClassName prop:

// color prop → colorClassName with accent- prefix
<ActivityIndicator
    className="m-4"
    size="large"
    colorClassName="accent-blue-500 dark:accent-blue-400"
/>
 
// color prop on Button
<Button
    colorClassName="accent-background"
    title="Press me"
/>
 
// tintColor prop → tintColorClassName with accent- prefix
<Image
    className="w-6 h-6"
    tintColorClassName="accent-red-500"
    source={icon}
/>

Rule: className accepts any Tailwind utility for style-based props. For non-style props (color, tintColor, etc.), use {propName}ClassName with the accent- prefix. This applies to all built-in React Native components.

Step 10: Migrate NativeWind Theme Variables

Before (NativeWind JS themes with vars()):

import { vars } from 'nativewind';
 
export const themes = {
  light: vars({
    '--color-primary': '#00a8ff',
    '--color-typography': '#000',
  }),
  dark: vars({
    '--color-primary': '#273c75',
    '--color-typography': '#fff',
  }),
};
 
// In JSX:
<View style={themes[colorScheme]}>

After (Uniwind CSS themes):

@layer theme {
  :root {
    @variant light {
      --color-primary: #00a8ff;
      --color-typography: #000;
    }
    @variant dark {
      --color-primary: #273c75;
      --color-typography: #fff;
    }
  }
}

IMPORTANT: All theme variants must define the exact same set of CSS variables. If light defines --color-primary and --color-typography, then dark (and any custom theme) must also define both. Mismatched variables will cause a Uniwind runtime error.

No ThemeProvider wrapper needed. Remove the NativeWind <ThemeProvider> or vars() wrapper from JSX. Keep React Navigation's <ThemeProvider> if used.

If the project used nested theme wrappers to preview or force a theme for a specific subtree (for example a demo card, settings preview, or side-by-side theme comparison), use Uniwind Pro's ScopedTheme instead of changing the global theme:

import { ScopedTheme } from 'uniwind';
 
<ScopedTheme theme="dark">
  <PreviewCard />
</ScopedTheme>

If the project has custom themes beyond light/dark (e.g. ocean, premium), you must:

1. Define them in CSS using @variant:

@layer theme {
  :root {
    @variant ocean {
      --color-primary: #0ea5e9;
      --color-background: #0c4a6e;
    }
  }
}

2. Register them in metro.config.js via extraThemes (skip light/dark — they are auto-added):

module.exports = withUniwindConfig(config, {
  cssEntryFile: './global.css',
  polyfills: { rem: 14 },
  extraThemes: ['ocean', 'premium'],
});

Step 11: Migrate Safe Area Utilities

NativeWind's safe area classes need explicit setup in Uniwind:

import { SafeAreaProvider, SafeAreaListener } from 'react-native-safe-area-context';
import { Uniwind } from 'uniwind';
 
export default function App() {
  return (
    <SafeAreaProvider>
      <SafeAreaListener
        onChange={({ insets }) => {
          Uniwind.updateInsets(insets);
        }}
      >
        <View className="pt-safe px-safe">
          {/* content */}
        </View>
      </SafeAreaListener>
    </SafeAreaProvider>
  );
}

Step 12: Verify rem Value

NativeWind uses 14px as the base rem, Uniwind defaults to 16px. Step 4 already sets polyfills: { rem: 14 } in metro config to preserve NativeWind's spacing. If the user explicitly wants Uniwind's default (16px), they can remove the polyfill — but warn them that all spacing/sizing will shift.

Step 13: Handle className Deduplication

Uniwind does NOT auto-deduplicate conflicting classNames (NativeWind did). If your codebase relies on override patterns like className={`p-4 ${overrideClass}`}, set up a cn utility.

First, check if the project already has a cn helper (common in shadcn/ui projects):

rg "export function cn|export const cn" -g "*.{ts,tsx,js}"

If it exists, keep it as-is. If not, install dependencies and create it:

npm install tailwind-merge clsx

Create lib/cn.ts (or wherever utils live in the project):

import { type ClassValue, clsx } from 'clsx';
import { twMerge } from 'tailwind-merge';
 
export function cn(...inputs: ClassValue[]) {
    return twMerge(clsx(inputs));
}

Usage:

import { cn } from '@/lib/cn';
 
<View className={cn('p-4 bg-white', props.className)} />
<Text className={cn('text-base', isActive && 'text-blue-500', disabled && 'opacity-50')} />

Use cn instead of raw twMerge — it handles conditional classes, arrays, and falsy values via clsx before deduplicating with tailwind-merge.

Important utilities are also supported in Uniwind. If migrated NativeWind code intentionally forces an override with Tailwind's important modifier, keep it:

<View className="bg-blue-500 !bg-red-500" />
<Pressable className="bg-blue-500 active:!bg-red-500" />

Important utilities override non-important utilities for the same style property. Inline style still has the highest priority, even over important className utilities.

Step 14: Update Animated Class Names

If the project used NativeWind animated-* / transition class patterns, migrate those to explicit react-native-reanimated usage. Uniwind OSS does not provide NativeWind-style animated class behavior.

Use this migration guide section as the source of truth:

• https://docs.uniwind.dev/migration-from-nativewind

Step 15: Clean Up Remaining NativeWind References

Final sweep — search for and remove any remaining references:

rg "nativewind|NativeWind|native-wind" -g "*.{ts,tsx,js,jsx,json,css}"

Check for:

• NativeWind imports in any file
• nativewind in package.json (devDependencies too)
• react-native-css-interop in package.json
• NativeWind babel preset in babel.config.js
• NativeWind metro wrapper in metro.config.js
• nativewind-env.d.ts or nativewind.d.ts files
• Any cssInterop() or remapProps() calls
• Any vars() imports from nativewind

Uniwind APIs & Patterns

useUniwind — Theme Access (re-renders on change)

Docs: https://docs.uniwind.dev/api/use-uniwind

import { useUniwind } from 'uniwind';
 
const { theme, hasAdaptiveThemes } = useUniwind();
// theme: current theme name — "light", "dark", "system", or custom
// hasAdaptiveThemes: true if app follows system color scheme

Use for: displaying theme name in UI, conditional rendering by theme, side effects on theme change.

Uniwind Static API — Theme Access (no re-render)

Access theme info without causing re-renders:

import { Uniwind } from 'uniwind';
 
Uniwind.currentTheme    // "light", "dark", "system", or custom
Uniwind.hasAdaptiveThemes // true if following system color scheme

Use for: logging, analytics, imperative logic outside render.

useResolveClassNames — Convert classNames to Style Objects

Docs: https://docs.uniwind.dev/api/use-resolve-class-names

Converts Tailwind classes into React Native style objects. Use when working with components that don't support className and can't be wrapped with withUniwind (e.g. react-navigation theme config):

import { useResolveClassNames } from 'uniwind';
 
const headerStyle = useResolveClassNames('bg-blue-500');
const cardStyle = useResolveClassNames('bg-white dark:bg-gray-900');
 
<Stack.Navigator
  screenOptions={{
    headerStyle: headerStyle,
    cardStyle: cardStyle,
  }}
/>

useCSSVariable — Access CSS Variables in JS

Docs: https://docs.uniwind.dev/api/use-css-variable

Retrieve CSS variable values programmatically. Variable must be prefixed with -- and match a variable defined in global.css:

import { useCSSVariable } from 'uniwind';
 
const primaryColor = useCSSVariable('--color-primary');
const spacing = useCSSVariable('--spacing-4');

Use for: animations, third-party library configs, calculations with design tokens.

CSS Functions — Custom Utilities

Docs: https://docs.uniwind.dev/api/css-functions

Define custom utilities using device-aware CSS functions like hairlineWidth(), fontScale(), pixelRatio(). These can be used everywhere (custom CSS classes, @utility, etc.) — but NOT inside @theme {} (which only accepts static values). Use @utility to create reusable Tailwind-style classes:

@utility w-hairline { width: hairlineWidth(); }
@utility h-hairline { height: hairlineWidth(); }
@utility border-hairline { border-width: hairlineWidth(); }
@utility text-scaled { font-size: fontScale(); }

Then use as: <View className="w-hairline h-hairline" />

Platform Selectors

Docs: https://docs.uniwind.dev/api/platform-select

Apply styles conditionally per platform using ios:, android:, web:, native: prefixes:

<View className="ios:bg-red-500 android:bg-blue-500 web:bg-green-500">
  <Text className="ios:text-white android:text-white web:text-black">
    Platform-specific styles
  </Text>
</View>

Theme Switching

Docs: https://docs.uniwind.dev/theming/basics

By default Uniwind follows the system color scheme (adaptive themes). To switch themes programmatically:

import { Uniwind } from 'uniwind';
 
Uniwind.setTheme('dark');     // force dark
Uniwind.setTheme('light');    // force light
Uniwind.setTheme('system');   // follow system (default)
Uniwind.setTheme('ocean');    // custom theme (must be in extraThemes)

ScopedTheme — Theme a Subtree Only

Docs: https://docs.uniwind.dev/api/scoped-themes

Use ScopedTheme when the project needs a different theme for only part of the UI (component previews, themed sections, nested demos) without changing the app-wide theme:

import { ScopedTheme } from 'uniwind';
 
<View className="gap-3">
  <PreviewCard />
 
  <ScopedTheme theme="light">
    <PreviewCard />
  </ScopedTheme>
 
  <ScopedTheme theme="dark">
    <PreviewCard />
  </ScopedTheme>
</View>

Important behavior:

• Nearest ScopedTheme wins (nested scopes are supported)
• Hooks like useUniwind, useResolveClassNames, and useCSSVariable resolve against the nearest scoped theme
• withUniwind-wrapped third-party components inside the scope also resolve themed values from that scope
• Custom theme names can be used in ScopedTheme (must be defined in extraThemes)

Style Based on Themes — Prefer CSS Variables

Docs: https://docs.uniwind.dev/theming/style-based-on-themes

Prefer using CSS variable-based classes over explicit dark:/light: variants. Instead of:

// Avoid this pattern
<View className="light:bg-white dark:bg-black" />

Define a CSS variable and use it directly:

@layer theme {
  :root {
    @variant light { --color-background: #ffffff; }
    @variant dark { --color-background: #000000; }
  }
}

// Preferred — automatically adapts to theme
<View className="bg-background" />

This is cleaner, easier to maintain, and works automatically with custom themes too.

Runtime CSS Variable Updates

Docs: https://docs.uniwind.dev/theming/update-css-variables

Update theme variables at runtime, e.g. based on user preferences or API responses:

This pattern should be used only when the app has real runtime theming needs (for example, user-selected brand colors or API-driven themes).

Variants with tailwind-variants

Docs: https://docs.uniwind.dev/tailwind-basics#advanced-pattern-variants-and-compound-variants

For component variants and compound variants, use the tailwind-variants library:

Monorepo Support

Docs: https://docs.uniwind.dev/monorepos

If the project is a monorepo, add @source directives in global.css so Tailwind scans packages outside the CSS entry file's directory (only if that directory has components with Tailwind classes):

FAQ

Docs: https://docs.uniwind.dev/faq

Custom Fonts: Uniwind maps className to font-family only — font files must be loaded separately (expo-font plugin in app.json or react-native-asset for bare RN). Font family names in @theme must exactly match filenames (without extension). Use @variant for per-platform fonts (must be inside @layer theme { :root { } }):

Data Selectors: Use data-[prop=value]:utility for prop-based styling. Only equality checks supported:

global.css Location in Expo Router: Place at project root and import in root layout (app/_layout.tsx). If placed in app/, components outside need @source directives. Tailwind scans from global.css location.

Full App Reloads on CSS Changes: Metro can't hot-reload files with many providers. Move global.css import deeper in the component tree (e.g. navigation root or home screen) to fix.

Gradients: Built-in support, no extra deps needed. Use bg-gradient-to-r from-red-500 via-yellow-500 to-green-500. For expo-linear-gradient, use useCSSVariable to get colors — withUniwind won't work since gradient props are arrays.

Style Specificity: Inline style always overrides className. Use className for static styles, inline only for truly dynamic values. Avoid mixing both for the same property.

Serialization Errors (Failed to serialize javascript object): Clear caches: watchman watch-del-all 2>/dev/null; rm -rf node_modules/.cache && npx expo start --clear. Common causes: complex @theme configs, circular CSS variable references.

Metro unstable_enablePackageExports Conflicts: Some apps (crypto etc.) disable this, breaking Uniwind. Use selective resolver:

Safe Area Classes: p-safe, pt-safe, pb-safe, px-safe, py-safe, m-safe, mt-safe, etc. Also supports -or-{value} (min spacing) and -offset-{value} (extra spacing) variants.

Next.js: Not officially supported. Uniwind is for Metro and Vite. Community plugin: uniwind-plugin-next. For Next.js, use standard Tailwind CSS and share design tokens.

Vite: Supported since v1.2.0. Use uniwind/vite plugin alongside @tailwindcss/vite.

UI Kits: HeroUI Native, react-native-reusables and Gluestack 4.1+ works great with Uniwind

Known Issues & Gotchas

1. data- attributes*: Uniwind supports data-[prop=value]:utility syntax for conditional styling, similar to NativeWind.
2. Animated styles: Migrate NativeWind animated classes to react-native-reanimated directly. Uniwind Pro has built-in Reanimated support.

Verification

After migration, verify:

1. npx react-native start --reset-cache (clear Metro cache) or with expo npx expo start -c
2. All screens render correctly on iOS and Android
3. Theme switching works (light/dark)
4. Custom fonts load correctly
5. Safe area insets apply properly
6. No console warnings about missing styles
7. No remaining imports from nativewind or react-native-css-interop

IMPORTANT: Do NOT guess Uniwind APIs. If you are unsure about any Uniwind API, hook, component, or configuration option, fetch and verify against the official docs: https://docs.uniwind.dev/llms-full.txt