rn-gesture-swipeable-flatlist

A fast, simple swipeable FlatList for React Native.

👉 Drop-in FlatList replacement with swipe-to-delete support.

Built on top of react-native-gesture-handler and Reanimated, the standard gesture stack in React Native.

A React Native swipeable FlatList for building:

• swipe to delete
• inbox-style lists
• gesture-based row actions

Built on FlatList with support for both:

• rn-gesture-swipeable-flatlist/reanimated using ReanimatedSwipeable (recommended)
• rn-gesture-swipeable-flatlist using classic Swipeable

If you are searching for a React Native swipe list, swipeable flatlist, or gesture handler swipeable list, this package is built for that exact use case.

Why this library?

React Native does not ship a built-in swipeable list component.

Building one from scratch usually means wiring gesture handlers, tracking open rows, managing refs, and keeping everything stable as list data changes.

This package handles that for you while staying close to normal FlatList usage.

Which implementation should I use?

👉 Use rn-gesture-swipeable-flatlist/reanimated by default.

Swipeable is deprecated in newer versions of react-native-gesture-handler.

Import	Uses	Recommendation	Requires
rn-gesture-swipeable-flatlist/reanimated	ReanimatedSwipeable	Use by default for new apps	react-native-gesture-handler + react-native-reanimated >= 2.3.0
rn-gesture-swipeable-flatlist	classic Swipeable	Only use if you intentionally want the legacy RNGH component	react-native-gesture-handler

Installation

Install the package with Gesture Handler:

npm install rn-gesture-swipeable-flatlist react-native-gesture-handler

or:

yarn add rn-gesture-swipeable-flatlist react-native-gesture-handler

If you use the recommended /reanimated import, also install Reanimated:

npm install react-native-reanimated

If you use Expo:

expo install react-native-gesture-handler react-native-reanimated

Gesture Handler Setup

Required for both imports.

Wrap your app root with GestureHandlerRootView:

import { GestureHandlerRootView } from 'react-native-gesture-handler';

export default function App() {
  return (
    <GestureHandlerRootView style={{ flex: 1 }}>
      <ActualApp />
    </GestureHandlerRootView>
  );
}

Official docs: https://docs.swmansion.com/react-native-gesture-handler/docs/fundamentals/installation

Reanimated Setup

Required only for rn-gesture-swipeable-flatlist/reanimated.

Use react-native-reanimated@2.3.0 or newer and complete the normal Reanimated installation for your app.

Official docs: https://docs.swmansion.com/react-native-reanimated/docs/fundamentals/getting-started

Copy-Paste Example

This is the recommended setup for a swipe to delete React Native list:

import React from 'react';
import { Pressable, Text, View } from 'react-native';
import SwipeableFlatList from 'rn-gesture-swipeable-flatlist/reanimated';

type Message = {
  id: string;
  subject: string;
};

const initialData: Message[] = [
  { id: '1', subject: 'Welcome' },
  { id: '2', subject: 'Invoice' },
];

export function InboxScreen() {
  const [data, setData] = React.useState(initialData);

  const removeItem = (id: string) => {
    setData((current) => current.filter((item) => item.id !== id));
  };

  return (
    <SwipeableFlatList
      data={data}
      keyExtractor={(item) => item.id}
      renderItem={({ item }) => (
        <View>
          <Text>{item.subject}</Text>
        </View>
      )}
      renderRightActions={(item) => (
        <Pressable onPress={() => removeItem(item.id)}>
          <Text>Delete</Text>
        </Pressable>
      )}
    />
  );
}

Features

• Works exactly like FlatList with swipe support added
• Add per-item swipe actions like delete, archive, and pin
• Use ReanimatedSwipeable by default, or the classic import when needed
• Choose single-open or multi-open row behavior
• Close open rows imperatively when screens, tabs, or filters change
• Keep list usage simple with item-based action renderers

API

SwipeableFlatList accepts normal FlatList props plus:

Prop	Type	Purpose
renderLeftActions	(item) => React.ReactNode	Render left swipe actions for a row
renderRightActions	(item) => React.ReactNode	Render right swipe actions for a row
swipeableProps	SwipeableFlatListSwipeableProps	Forward extra props to the underlying RNGH swipeable component
enableOpenMultipleRows	boolean	Control whether multiple rows can stay open

Notes:

• renderLeftActions and renderRightActions receive the item directly
• direct renderLeftActions / renderRightActions props take priority over the same fields inside swipeableProps
• swipeableProps targets Swipeable on the default import and ReanimatedSwipeable on the /reanimated import

Ref API

The forwarded ref behaves like a FlatList ref and adds:

Method	Purpose
closeAnyOpenRows()	Close the currently open row, or all open rows when multiple-open mode is enabled

import React, { useRef } from 'react';
import SwipeableFlatList, {
  SwipeableFlatListRef,
} from 'rn-gesture-swipeable-flatlist/reanimated';

const listRef = useRef<SwipeableFlatListRef<Item> | null>(null);

listRef.current?.closeAnyOpenRows();

When to use

• swipe to delete in React Native
• inbox-style message lists
• archive / pin / delete row actions
• activity, notifications, history, and settings lists with row gestures

When not to use

• This library is not for drag-and-drop sorting
• This library is not a full custom gesture system
• This library is not for non-FlatList rendering patterns

AI / Codex Notes

• Prefer rn-gesture-swipeable-flatlist/reanimated
• Do not mix the default and /reanimated imports for the same list
• Treat it like a normal FlatList with extra swipe props
• Always pass a stable keyExtractor for dynamic data

Links

• React Native FlatList docs: https://reactnative.dev/docs/flatlist
• Gesture Handler Swipeable docs: https://docs.swmansion.com/react-native-gesture-handler/docs/2.x/components/swipeable/
• Gesture Handler ReanimatedSwipeable docs: https://docs.swmansion.com/react-native-gesture-handler/docs/2.x/components/reanimated_swipeable/
• Example project: https://github.com/GFean/rn-gesture-swipeable-flatlist-example

License

ISC