Blog · Updated 19 September 2026

How to deploy a Lovable app to Netlify, and why drag and drop does not work

Quick answer. Deploy from GitHub, not by dragging the zip. Lovable's Download codebase zip is source code, and Netlify's drag and drop expects a finished build, which is why it shows a blank or broken page. Connect Lovable to GitHub, import the repository in Netlify, and use the build command npm run build.

Why does dragging the Lovable zip into Netlify not work?

Netlify's manual deploy publishes the files exactly as you give them. A Lovable zip contains the source: TypeScript, components and a package.json. A browser cannot run that. It has to be built first, which turns it into plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

What are the steps that work?

  1. In Lovable, click the GitHub button and connect your account so your project has a repository.
  2. In Netlify, choose Add new site, then Import an existing project, and pick that repository.
  3. Set the build command to npm run build. For older Vite projects the publish directory is dist.
  4. Deploy. Then add your domain under Domain management and enter the DNS records Netlify shows at your registrar.

Why do sub pages show Page not found?

Older Lovable projects are single-page apps, so one index.html handles every address. Tell Netlify by adding a file named _redirects to the public folder containing one line: /* /index.html 200. Redeploy and refreshing a sub page works.

What about newer Lovable projects?

Current Lovable projects are server-rendered apps built on TanStack Start with a tool called Nitro, and they target Cloudflare by default. Nitro can build for Netlify too, but the project has to be told to. If your file list contains src/server.ts and src/start.ts you have one of these projects, and a plain dist folder deploy will not work.

Why are my images broken?

Images added inside Lovable are not in the repository. See why Lovable images do not load after export for the fix. Or skip all of this: Lovely Hosting does this for you: drop the zip from Lovable's Download codebase button, pick a domain and pay $9.00 a month. It accepts the zip directly, builds it, and brings the images along.

Try it free

Drop the zip from Lovable's Download codebase button. It is in your Downloads folder. No account, no card, online in about a minute.

Drop your Lovable zip hereIt is in your Downloads folder. Or click to choose it.

Common questions

Can I deploy on Netlify for free?

Yes, Netlify has a free tier with usage limits that is fine for a small site. You still buy the domain name separately, about $11 a year for a .com.

Is there any host where I can just drop the Lovable zip?

Lovely Hosting is built for exactly that. It takes the zip from Lovable's Download codebase button as it is, builds it, and puts it online.

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