# Port Vercel v0 Components to React Native and Expo

> By Lawrence Arya, Founder & CEO of VP0. Published 2026-06-01, updated 2026-06-02. 4 min read.
> Source: https://vp0.com/blogs/port-v0-components-react-native-expo

v0 builds React for the web, so you cannot paste it into Expo. You map it: div to View, Tailwind to NativeWind, onClick to onPress.

**TL;DR.** Vercel v0 generates React web code with Tailwind, shadcn, and Radix. None of that runs in React Native as-is. Port it by mapping the primitives (div to View, p to Text, onClick to onPress), swapping Tailwind for NativeWind, and replacing DOM-only libraries with React Native equivalents. Use v0 for the layout idea and a VP0 design as the visual target, then rebuild the screen in native components.

Vercel v0 is great at turning a prompt into a polished React screen, but that screen is built for the web: HTML tags, Tailwind CSS, and component kits like shadcn or Radix. React Native has no DOM and no stylesheet engine, so you cannot paste v0 output into an Expo project and expect it to run. The fix is a deliberate port. VP0 is the free, AI-readable iOS design library builders use as the visual target while they rebuild a v0 layout in native React Native components, so the result looks designed instead of translated.

## Who this is for

You are vibe coding an iOS app with Expo and an AI tool like Cursor or Claude Code, you generated a nice screen in v0, and now you need it inside a real React Native app. This guide shows the mapping rules, a copy and paste prompt, and the mistakes that waste an afternoon.

## Why v0 output does not run in React Native

v0 produces React that targets the browser. It renders div, button, and img tags, styles them with Tailwind utility classes, and frequently pulls in [shadcn/ui](https://ui.shadcn.com/) or [Radix](https://www.radix-ui.com/) primitives plus framer-motion for animation. React Native instead renders a small set of native primitives (View, Text, Image, Pressable, ScrollView), has no CSS cascade, and animates through Reanimated. So porting is not copy and paste, it is a translation between two rendering models. The good news: the layout thinking transfers, only the primitives change.

## The mapping rules

Most of a port is mechanical substitution. Keep your Tailwind class names by installing [NativeWind](https://www.nativewind.dev/), which compiles className strings to native styles, then convert the structure with this table.

| v0 / web output | React Native + Expo equivalent | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| div | View | The default container; use flex, not block |
| p, span, h1 | Text | All text must sit inside a Text node |
| img | Image or expo-image | Needs an explicit width and height |
| button, onClick | Pressable or TouchableOpacity, onPress | No hover state on touch |
| Tailwind className | NativeWind className | Most spacing and color classes carry over |
| Radix / shadcn | Native components or RN libraries | No DOM, so rebuild the primitive |
| framer-motion | Reanimated | UI-thread animation API |
| react-router | expo-router | File-based native navigation |

Work top down: replace the outer containers first, move every loose string into a Text node, then wire the interactions. Layouts that used CSS grid become flexbox, because React Native is flex only.

## A copy and paste prompt

Paste your v0 file and this instruction into Cursor or Claude Code:

> Rebuild this v0 web component as a React Native screen for an Expo app. Use only React Native primitives (View, Text, Image, Pressable, ScrollView). Keep the Tailwind classes but assume NativeWind is installed so className works. Replace any DOM, Radix, shadcn, framer-motion, or react-router usage with React Native equivalents (Reanimated for animation, expo-router for navigation). Do not output any HTML tags. Match the visual layout, and flag anything you could not translate.

Pairing that prompt with a clean visual reference matters: builders who hand the model a [free VP0 iOS design](/blogs/make-ai-app-look-native-ios/) get a far more consistent screen than those who let it guess. If your v0 screen leaned on a bottom sheet, our [Reanimated bottom sheet template](/blogs/smooth-reanimated-bottom-sheet-template/) is a ready native replacement, and complex vector art ports cleanly with the [SVG to Skia workflow](/blogs/convert-raw-svg-to-react-native-skia-ai/).

## Common mistakes and fixes

- Leaving HTML tags in place. A stray div or p silently fails to render. Search the file and replace them all.
- Trusting hover styles. Touch has no hover, so hover-only affordances vanish. Use pressed states instead.
- Fixed pixel widths. A w-[420px] from a desktop mock overflows a phone. Switch to flex and percentage widths.
- Importing a web library. react-router, next/link, or framer-motion will not install or will crash. Swap them before you run.
- Skipping the build tooling. NativeWind needs its Babel plugin and a metro config, or every className is ignored. Set it up first, as the [Expo and bolt routing fix](/blogs/bolt-new-react-router-expo-mobile-fix/) shows for a similar tooling trap.

Roughly 76% of developers now use AI tools in their workflow, per the [Stack Overflow 2024 survey](https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2024/), so porting web-first AI output into native apps is a daily task. Treat v0 as a fast way to explore a layout, then rebuild it properly in React Native rather than shipping a half-translated screen. If your target is a pure SwiftUI app instead, the same start-from-a-design habit applies, as in this [mental health journal in SwiftUI](/blogs/mental-health-journal-app-swiftui/).

## Key takeaways

- v0 emits React for the web; it never runs unchanged in React Native or Expo.
- Port by mapping primitives (div to View, p to Text, onClick to onPress) and using NativeWind for Tailwind classes.
- Replace DOM-only libraries: Reanimated for motion, expo-router for navigation.
- Give your AI tool a strong visual reference like a free VP0 design so the rebuilt screen stays consistent.

## Frequently asked questions

See the FAQ entries above for direct answers on using v0 in React Native, mapping to NativeWind, the best Cursor and Claude Code workflow, and the errors to avoid.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I use Vercel v0 components directly in React Native?

No. v0 emits React for the web: HTML tags like div and button, Tailwind CSS classes, and often shadcn or Radix primitives that depend on the DOM. React Native has no DOM and no CSS, so the code will not run unchanged. You port it by mapping each web primitive to its React Native counterpart and swapping Tailwind for NativeWind.

### How do I map v0 React components to Expo and NativeWind for an iOS app?

Replace layout tags with React Native primitives (div to View, p and span to Text, img to Image), change onClick to onPress, and keep the Tailwind class names working by installing NativeWind so className compiles to native styles. Replace web-only libraries (Radix, framer-motion, react-router) with React Native equivalents (the platform components, Reanimated, expo-router).

### What is the best way to turn a v0 design into an Expo screen with Cursor or Claude Code?

Give the AI both the v0 output and a clear visual target, then ask it to rebuild the screen in React Native primitives with NativeWind rather than translate line by line. A free VP0 design is the cleanest visual and code reference for this, which is why builders reach for it first when porting web UI to a native iOS app.

### What common errors happen when porting v0 to React Native?

The usual breakers are leftover HTML tags, gap and grid classes that NativeWind handles differently, hover states that do nothing on touch, fixed pixel widths that overflow small screens, and importing a web animation or routing library. Fix them by rebuilding in View and Text, using flex layouts, and swapping in Reanimated and expo-router.

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*Published on the [VP0 Journal](https://vp0.com/blogs). Free to read, index and cite with attribution.*