diff --git a/lib/commands/bin.js b/lib/commands/bin.js
index 07d33167d0d07..4200d5b8ca556 100644
--- a/lib/commands/bin.js
+++ b/lib/commands/bin.js
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 const log = require('../utils/log-shim.js')
-const envPath = require('../utils/path.js')
 const BaseCommand = require('../base-command.js')
+// TODO this may not be needed at all. Ignoring because our tests normalize
+// process.env.path already
+/* istanbul ignore next */
+const path = process.env.path || process.env.Path || process.env.PATH
+const { delimiter } = require('path')
 
 class Bin extends BaseCommand {
   static description = 'Display npm bin folder'
@@ -11,7 +15,7 @@ class Bin extends BaseCommand {
   async exec (args) {
     const b = this.npm.bin
     this.npm.output(b)
-    if (this.npm.config.get('global') && !envPath.includes(b)) {
+    if (this.npm.config.get('global') && !path.split(delimiter).includes(b)) {
       log.error('bin', '(not in PATH env variable)')
     }
   }
diff --git a/lib/utils/path.js b/lib/utils/path.js
deleted file mode 100644
index fcbf92e569757..0000000000000
--- a/lib/utils/path.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-// return the PATH array in a cross-platform way
-// TODO this is only used in a single place
-const PATH = process.env.PATH || process.env.Path || process.env.path
-const { delimiter } = require('path')
-module.exports = PATH.split(delimiter)
diff --git a/test/lib/commands/bin.js b/test/lib/commands/bin.js
index a889b13361624..46170e765de82 100644
--- a/test/lib/commands/bin.js
+++ b/test/lib/commands/bin.js
@@ -1,60 +1,32 @@
 const t = require('tap')
-const { relative, join } = require('path')
 const { load: loadMockNpm } = require('../../fixtures/mock-npm')
 const mockGlobals = require('../../fixtures/mock-globals')
 
-const mockBin = async (t, { args = [], config = {} } = {}) => {
-  const { npm, outputs, ...rest } = await loadMockNpm(t, {
-    config,
-  })
-  const cmd = await npm.cmd('bin')
-  await npm.exec('bin', args)
-
-  return {
-    npm,
-    cmd,
-    bin: outputs[0][0],
-    ...rest,
-  }
-}
-
-t.test('bin', async t => {
-  const { cmd, bin, prefix, outputErrors } = await mockBin(t, {
-    config: { global: false },
-  })
-
-  t.match(cmd.usage, 'bin', 'usage has command name in it')
-  t.equal(relative(prefix, bin), join('node_modules/.bin'), 'prints the correct directory')
-  t.strictSame(outputErrors, [])
+t.test('bin not global', async t => {
+  const { npm, joinedOutput, logs } = await loadMockNpm(t)
+  await npm.exec('bin', [])
+  t.match(joinedOutput(), npm.localBin)
+  t.match(logs.error, [])
 })
 
-t.test('bin -g', async t => {
-  mockGlobals(t, { 'process.platform': 'posix' })
-  const { globalPrefix, bin, outputErrors } = await mockBin(t, {
+t.test('bin global in env.path', async t => {
+  const { npm, joinedOutput, logs } = await loadMockNpm(t, {
     config: { global: true },
   })
 
-  t.equal(relative(globalPrefix, bin), 'bin', 'prints the correct directory')
-  t.strictSame(outputErrors, [])
-})
-
-t.test('bin -g win32', async t => {
-  mockGlobals(t, { 'process.platform': 'win32' })
-  const { globalPrefix, bin, outputErrors } = await mockBin(t, {
-    config: { global: true },
+  mockGlobals(t, {
+    'process.env': { path: npm.globalBin },
   })
-
-  t.equal(relative(globalPrefix, bin), '', 'prints the correct directory')
-  t.strictSame(outputErrors, [])
+  await npm.exec('bin', [])
+  t.match(joinedOutput(), npm.globalBin)
+  t.match(logs.error, [])
 })
 
-t.test('bin -g (not in path)', async t => {
-  const { logs } = await mockBin(t, {
+t.test('bin not in path', async t => {
+  const { npm, joinedOutput, logs } = await loadMockNpm(t, {
     config: { global: true },
-    globals: {
-      'process.env.PATH': 'emptypath',
-    },
   })
-
-  t.strictSame(logs.error[0], ['bin', '(not in PATH env variable)'])
+  await npm.exec('bin', [])
+  t.match(joinedOutput(), npm.globalBin)
+  t.match(logs.error, [['bin', '(not in PATH env variable)']])
 })
diff --git a/test/lib/commands/exec.js b/test/lib/commands/exec.js
index 3c75c1d8d8273..1f7230d25b654 100644
--- a/test/lib/commands/exec.js
+++ b/test/lib/commands/exec.js
@@ -72,8 +72,6 @@ const read = (options, cb) => {
   process.nextTick(() => cb(READ_ERROR, READ_RESULT))
 }
 
-const PATH = require('../../../lib/utils/path.js')
-
 let CI_NAME = 'travis-ci'
 
 const log = {
@@ -154,7 +152,7 @@ t.test('npx foo, bin already exists locally', async t => {
       stdioString: true,
       event: 'npx',
       env: {
-        PATH: [npm.localBin, ...PATH].join(delimiter),
+        PATH: [npm.localBin, process.env.PATH].join(delimiter),
       },
       stdio: 'inherit',
     },
@@ -183,7 +181,7 @@ t.test('npx foo, bin already exists globally', async t => {
       stdioString: true,
       event: 'npx',
       env: {
-        PATH: [npm.globalBin, ...PATH].join(delimiter),
+        PATH: [npm.globalBin, process.env.PATH].join(delimiter),
       },
       stdio: 'inherit',
     },
@@ -1175,7 +1173,7 @@ t.test('workspaces', t => {
         stdioString: true,
         event: 'npx',
         env: {
-          PATH: [npm.localBin, ...PATH].join(delimiter),
+          PATH: [npm.localBin, process.env.PATH].join(delimiter),
         },
         stdio: 'inherit',
       },
diff --git a/test/lib/utils/path.js b/test/lib/utils/path.js
deleted file mode 100644
index b3bb269f32a62..0000000000000
--- a/test/lib/utils/path.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-const t = require('tap')
-const mod = '../../../lib/utils/path.js'
-const { isWindows } = require('../../../lib/utils/is-windows.js')
-const delim = isWindows ? ';' : ':'
-Object.defineProperty(process, 'env', {
-  value: {},
-})
-process.env.path = ['foo', 'bar', 'baz'].join(delim)
-t.strictSame(t.mock(mod), ['foo', 'bar', 'baz'])
-process.env.Path = ['a', 'b', 'c'].join(delim)
-t.strictSame(t.mock(mod), ['a', 'b', 'c'])
-process.env.PATH = ['x', 'y', 'z'].join(delim)
-t.strictSame(t.mock(mod), ['x', 'y', 'z'])