Fixing Uncaught TypeError: Failed to resolve module specifier "three"

Fixing "Failed to Resolve Module Specifier 'three'" in Three.js and WebXR

If you're working with Three.js and WebXR, you might run into this frustrating error:

Uncaught TypeError: Failed to resolve module specifier "three". Relative references must start with either "/", "./", or "../".

At first, I didn’t face this issue when using an older version of Three.js (like 0.128.0). But when I upgraded to 0.173.0, my console started throwing this error.

Struggling for a Solution

I spent hours searching online, trying different fixes, and even consulting ChatGPT and DeepSeek—but nothing worked. Maybe my prompt engineering skills weren’t strong enough! But finally, Claude helped me understand the real problem.

Let’s break it down and fix it.

Why This Error Happens

The issue occurs because browsers don’t automatically understand ES6 module imports. When you write:

js

import * as THREE from "three";

The browser needs to know where to find the "three" module. Without proper setup, it throws the error.

The Solution

To fix this, we need two things:

1. Use es-module-shims – A polyfill that improves browser support for ES modules.
2. Define an import map – This tells the browser where to fetch Three.js and other dependencies.

Add This to Your HTML

html

<script async src="https://unpkg.com/es-module-shims@1.6.3/dist/es-module-shims.js"></script>

<script type="importmap">
{
    "imports": {
        "three": "https://unpkg.com/three@0.173.0/build/three.module.js",
        "three/examples/jsm/loaders/GLTFLoader.js": "https://unpkg.com/three@0.173.0/examples/jsm/loaders/GLTFLoader.js"
    }
}
</script>

How It Works

• es-module-shims.js: Enhances browser compatibility for ES modules.
• Import Map: It tells the browser where to find Three.js and other modules when using import.

Now, Your Code Works! 🎉

After adding the import map, you can import modules normally without errors:

js

import * as THREE from "three";
import { GLTFLoader } from "three/examples/jsm/loaders/GLTFLoader.js";

Conclusion

If you're upgrading to a newer version of Three.js and encounter this issue, simply use an import map and es-module-shims to resolve it. Hope this saves you some debugging time! 🚀

Have you faced any similar issues with Three.js or WebXR? Let me know in the comments!