React Native Android: Could not find com.android.tools.build:gradle – How to fix it

📰 Dev.to · Asta Silva

Fix the 'Could not find com.android.tools.build:gradle' error in React Native Android by updating Gradle and the Android Gradle Plugin

intermediate Published 21 Apr 2026
Action Steps
  1. Check the Gradle version using the command 'gradle -v' to ensure it's up-to-date
  2. Update the Gradle wrapper using 'gradle wrapper --gradle-version X.X.X' if necessary
  3. Verify the Android Gradle Plugin version in the build.gradle file and update it if required
  4. Clean and rebuild the project using 'cd android && ./gradlew clean && ./gradlew build' to apply the changes
  5. Test the app on an emulator or physical device to confirm the error is resolved
Who Needs to Know This

Mobile app developers working with React Native Android will benefit from this solution, as it resolves a common build error

Key Insight

💡 The 'Could not find com.android.tools.build:gradle' error in React Native Android is often caused by outdated Gradle or Android Gradle Plugin versions

Share This
🚀 Fix the 'Could not find com.android.tools.build:gradle' error in #ReactNative Android! 💻 Update Gradle and the Android Gradle Plugin to get building again

Key Takeaways

Fix the 'Could not find com.android.tools.build:gradle' error in React Native Android by updating Gradle and the Android Gradle Plugin

Full Article

Title: React Native Android: Could not find com.android.tools.build:gradle – How to fix it

URL Source: https://dev.to/asta_dev/react-native-android-could-not-find-comandroidtoolsbuildgradle-how-to-fix-it-1p5

Published Time: 2026-04-21T16:24:42Z

Markdown Content:
# React Native Android: Could not find com.android.tools.build:gradle – How to fix it - DEV Community
[Skip to content](https://dev.to/asta_dev/react-native-android-could-not-find-comandroidtoolsbuildgradle-how-to-fix-it-1p5#main-content)

[![Image 1: DEV Community](https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/quality=100/https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/logos/resized_logo_UQww2soKuUsjaOGNB38o.png)](https://dev.to/)

[Powered by Algolia](https://www.algolia.com/developers/?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=referral)

[Log in](https://dev.to/enter?signup_subforem=1)[Create account](https://dev.to/enter?signup_subforem=1&state=new-user)

## DEV Community

![Image 2](https://assets.dev.to/assets/heart-plus-active-9ea3b22f2bc311281db911d416166c5f430636e76b15cd5df6b3b841d830eefa.svg)0 Add reaction

![Image 3](https://assets.dev.to/assets/sparkle-heart-5f9bee3767e18deb1bb725290cb151c25234768a0e9a2bd39370c382d02920cf.svg)0 Like ![Image 4](https://assets.dev.to/assets/multi-unicorn-b44d6f8c23cdd00964192bedc38af3e82463978aa611b4365bd33a0f1f4f3e97.svg)0 Unicorn ![Image 5](https://assets.dev.to/assets/exploding-head-daceb38d627e6ae9b730f36a1e390fca556a4289d5a41abb2c35068ad3e2c4b5.svg)0 Exploding Head ![Image 6](https://assets.dev.to/assets/raised-hands-74b2099fd66a39f2d7eed9305ee0f4553df0eb7b4f11b01b6b1b499973048fe5.svg)0 Raised Hands ![Image 7](https://assets.dev.to/assets/fire-f60e7a582391810302117f987b22a8ef04a2fe0df7e3258a5f49332df1cec71e.svg)0 Fire

0 Jump to Comments 0 Save Boost

Copy link

Copied to Clipboard

[Share to X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=%22React%20Native%20Android%3A%20Could%20not%20find%20com.android.tools.build%3Agradle%20%E2%80%93%20How%20to%20fix%20it%22%20by%20Asta%20Silva%20%23DEVCommunity%20https%3A%2F%2Fdev.to%2Fasta_dev%2Freact-native-android-could-not-find-comandroidtoolsbuildgradle-how-to-fix-it-1p5)[Share to LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdev.to%2Fasta_dev%2Freact-native-android-could-not-find-comandroidtoolsbuildgradle-how-to-fix-it-1p5&title=React%20Native%20Android%3A%20Could%20not%20find%20com.android.tools.build%3Agradle%20%E2%80%93%20How%20to%20fix%20it&summary=If%20you%E2%80%99re%20working%20with%20React%20Native%20Android%20and%20suddenly%20see%20an%20error%20like%3A%20%20%20Could%20not%20find...&source=DEV%20Community)[Share to Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdev.to%2Fasta_dev%2Freact-native-android-could-not-find-comandroidtoolsbuildgradle-how-to-fix-it-1p5)[Share to Mastodon](https://s2f.kytta.dev/?text=https%3A%2F%2Fdev.to%2Fasta_dev%2Freact-native-android-could-not-find-comandroidtoolsbuildgradle-how-to-fix-it-1p5)

[Share Post via...](https://dev.to/asta_dev/react-native-android-could-not-find-comandroidtoolsbuildgradle-how-to-fix-it-1p5#)[Report Abuse](https://dev.to/report-abuse)

[![Image 8: Asta Silva](https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=50,height=50,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3846035%2Fa51422bc-6e72-47bd-a95b-48111bb81009.png)](https://dev.to/asta_dev)

[Asta Silva](https://dev.to/asta_dev)
Posted on Apr 21

# React Native Android: Could not find com.android.tools.build:gradle – How to fix it

[#reactnative](https://dev.to/t/reactnative)[#android](https://dev.to/t/android)[#gradle](https://dev.to/t/gradle)[#react](https://dev.to/t/react)

If you’re working with React Native Android and suddenly see an error like:

* `Could not find com.android.tools.build:gradle:X.X.X`

your build will fail immediately, and it’s not always obvious why.

This error usually appears when Gradle cannot locate the Android Gradle Plugin (AGP) required to build your
Read full article → ← Back to Reads