microsoft / microsoft/TypeScript

Cannot assign Uint8Array type to Uint8Array variable created with constructor

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#61,793 6 comments 1 reaction 1 assignee View on GitHub

@sandersn is already working on this.

Since Jun 4, 2025.

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Description

### 🔎 Search Terms

uint8array

### 🕗 Version & Regression Information

- This changed between versions 5.7.3 and 5.6.3
- This changed in commit or PR #59417
- This is the behavior in every version I tried, and I reviewed the FAQ for entries about Uint8Arrays
- I was unable to test this on prior versions because Uint8Array was not generic before 5.7.3

### ⏯ Playground Link

https://www.typescriptlang.org/play/?target=11&ts=5.8.3#code/GYVwdgxgLglg9mABAcwKZQIICcuIBQCUAXIgKoxhQAc2WAhgJ6IDeAUIoluiFkmKgHcyFarUZ4ADAVYBfVqwA26RHRyIAvIn5DylGjnFTWq3JrSYcheUqgqcAJhK7RBppu3C9YhpOkn7GijotFZAA

### 💻 Code

```ts
function getArr (): Uint8Array {
return new Uint8Array(0)
}

let arr = new Uint8Array(0)
arr = getArr() // fails compilation with TS2322

let arr2: Uint8Array = new Uint8Array(0)
arr2 = getArr() // this is fine
```

### 🙁 Actual behavior

TS2322 is thrown during compilation.

### 🙂 Expected behavior

I should be able to assign a value of type `Uint8Array` to a variable initialised with the `Uint8Array` constructor without specifying extra generics or types.

### Additional information about the issue

The compilation error is:

```
Type 'Uint8Array' is not assignable to type 'Uint8Array'.
Type 'ArrayBufferLike' is not assignable to type 'ArrayBuffer'.
Type 'SharedArrayBuffer' is missing the following properties from type 'ArrayBuffer': resizable, resize, detached, transfer, transferToFixedLength(2322)
```

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