Uninstalling Anaconda Distribution

Need to uninstall Anaconda Navigator?

Need to uninstall Miniconda?

The uninstall procedure might leave behind certain artifacts, such as desktop shortcuts or supplementary files, that must be deleted manually after uninstalling. This is a known issue.

Backing up environments

If you plan to reinstall Anaconda Distribution, back up your environments before uninstalling by exporting them to a .yaml file using the following command:

# Replace <ENV_NAME> with the name of the environment you want to back up
conda env export --name <ENV_NAME> > <ENV_NAME>.yaml

You can use these files to recreate your environments after reinstalling. For more information, see Creating an environment.

Uninstall procedure

Follow the uninstall procedure below for your operating system:

(Optional) If you have created any environments outside your anaconda3 directory, Anaconda recommends manually deleting them to increase available disc space on your computer. This step must be performed before uninstalling Anaconda Distribution.

Uninstall environments outside the anaconda3 directory

Open Anaconda Prompt.
View a list of all your environments by running the following command:
```
conda info --envs
```
If you have any environments in a directory other than anaconda3, you will need to uninstall the directory that contains the environments. Uninstalling the directory with the following command deletes the environments’ contents and them from your user files.
Open your preferred shell.

Uninstall the directory by running the following command:

# Replace <YOUR_USERNAME> with your Windows username
# Replace <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY> with the path to the directory that contains the environments
C:\Users\<YOUR_USERNAME>\anaconda3\_conda constructor uninstall --prefix <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY>

Search for “Control Panel” in the taskbar search and select the Control Panel app.
Click Uninstall a program under Programs.
Select Anaconda from the list of programs.
Click Uninstall.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.
Verify your uninstall was successful by searching for “Anaconda Prompt” in the taskbar search. It should no longer appear.

Search for “Control Panel” in the taskbar search and select the Control Panel app.
Click Uninstall a program under Programs.
Select Anaconda from the list of programs.
Click Uninstall.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.
Verify your uninstall was successful by searching for “Anaconda Prompt” in the taskbar search. It should no longer appear.

On Windows operating systems, you can silently uninstall Anaconda Distribution using either Command Prompt or PowerShell.

Open a new Command Prompt window and run the following command:

start /wait .\anaconda3\Uninstall-Anaconda3.exe /S

Open a new Command Prompt window and run the following command:

start /wait .\anaconda3\Uninstall-Anaconda3.exe /S

Open a new PowerShell window and run the following command:

Start-Process -FilePath ".\anaconda3\Uninstall-Anaconda3.exe" -ArgumentList "/S" -Wait

An uninstall of Anaconda Distribution may take several minutes to complete.

Verify your uninstall was successful by searching for “Anaconda Prompt” in the taskbar search. It should no longer appear.

Uninstall environments outside the anaconda3 directory

Open Anaconda Prompt.
View a list of all your environments by running the following command:
```
conda info --envs
```
If you have any environments in a directory other than anaconda3, you will need to uninstall the directory that contains the environments. Uninstalling the directory with the following command deletes the environments’ contents and them from your user files.
Open your preferred shell.

Uninstall the directory by running the following command:

# Replace <YOUR_USERNAME> with your Windows username
# Replace <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY> with the path to the directory that contains the environments
C:\Users\<YOUR_USERNAME>\anaconda3\_conda constructor uninstall --prefix <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY>

Search for “Control Panel” in the taskbar search and select the Control Panel app.
Click Uninstall a program under Programs.
Select Anaconda from the list of programs.
Click Uninstall.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.
Verify your uninstall was successful by searching for “Anaconda Prompt” in the taskbar search. It should no longer appear.

Search for “Control Panel” in the taskbar search and select the Control Panel app.
Click Uninstall a program under Programs.
Select Anaconda from the list of programs.
Click Uninstall.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.
Verify your uninstall was successful by searching for “Anaconda Prompt” in the taskbar search. It should no longer appear.

On Windows operating systems, you can silently uninstall Anaconda Distribution using either Command Prompt or PowerShell.

Open a new Command Prompt window and run the following command:

start /wait .\anaconda3\Uninstall-Anaconda3.exe /S

Open a new Command Prompt window and run the following command:

start /wait .\anaconda3\Uninstall-Anaconda3.exe /S

Open a new PowerShell window and run the following command:

Start-Process -FilePath ".\anaconda3\Uninstall-Anaconda3.exe" -ArgumentList "/S" -Wait

An uninstall of Anaconda Distribution may take several minutes to complete.

Verify your uninstall was successful by searching for “Anaconda Prompt” in the taskbar search. It should no longer appear.

(Optional) If you have created any environments outside your anaconda3 directory, you can manually delete them to increase available disc space on your computer. This step must be performed before uninstalling Anaconda Distribution.

Uninstall environments outside the anaconda3 directory

View a list of all your environments by running the following command:
```
conda info --envs
```
If you have any environments in a directory other than anaconda3, you will need to uninstall the directory that contains the environments. Uninstalling the directory with the following command deletes the environments’ contents and them from your user files.

Uninstall the directory by running the following command:

# Replace <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY> with the path to the directory that contains the environments
~/anaconda3/_conda constructor uninstall --prefix <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY>

Open your terminal application.
(Optional) Remove any conda initialization scripts from all your terminal shell profiles by running the following command:
```
conda activate
conda init --reverse --all
```
What are conda initialization scripts?
Initialization scripts execute commands that configure your shell to automatically recognize conda commands.
For a technical explanation of initialization, see Conda initialization in the official conda documentation.
To see a list of shells where conda can be initialized, see conda init in the official conda documentation.
Remove your entire anaconda3 directory with rm -rf. Depending on your installation, this directory will be in your root folder or in your opt folder.

When paired with the -r (recursive) flag, the f (force) flag deletes all specified directories and the files within them without prompting you for confirmation. Double-check and verify that you have correctly specified the directories you intend to delete before running rm -rf, as this action can’t be undone.
```
# The following are a few examples of how you might need to delete your anaconda3 folder
rm -rf anaconda3
rm -rf ~/anaconda3
sudo rm -rf /opt/anaconda3
```
(Optional) Remove the hidden .condarc file and .conda and .continuum directories from your home directory by running the following command:

Keep your .condarc file if you have custom configurations for conda and plan to reinstall.
```
rm -rf ~/.condarc ~/.conda ~/.continuum
```
Verify your uninstall was successful by closing and reopening your terminal to refresh it. You should no longer see (base) in your terminal prompt.

Getting Started

​Backing up environments

​Uninstall procedure

Backing up environments

Uninstall procedure