How to Uninstall a Python Package With Pip: Step-by-Step Guide

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Easily uninstall Python packages using Pip on any operating system
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Are you trying to use Pip to uninstall a Python package? Thankfully, whether you're on Windows, macOS, or Unix (Linux) this is a simple task. In this article we'll go over all the steps to uninstall a package with Pip, including some optional steps to remove dependencies or globally-installed packages.

Quick Pip Uninstallation Steps

  1. Open your terminal or command prompt.
  2. Start the command with python (Unix/macOS) or py (Windows).
  3. Write pip -m uninstall [packagename] .
  4. Press Enter / Return to execute the command.
  5. Type y to confirm the uninstallation.

Steps

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    While you most commonly may use pip , there are different pip commands you can use depending on your circumstances:
    • pip : Python 2.7
    • pip3.4 : Python 3.4
    • pip3.6 : Python 3.6
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    The program you open to use Pip depends on your operating system.
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    If you're on Unix or macOS , start your command with python . If you're on Windows, start it with py . Then, write the following command:
    • -m pip uninstall [packagename] [1]
      • Replace pip with one of the alternatives in step 1, if necessary.
      • Replace [packagename] with the name of the package you want to uninstall.
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    The terminal will ask if you want to proceed when you attempt to uninstall a file. Type y to proceed (or no to cancel the uninstall).
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    If you installed a package globally as well as locally, uninstalling it globally is necessary to cleanly remove the package from your computer.
    • Windows: After entering the command window, press Ctrl + ⇧ Shift + ↵ Enter to get admin privileges, then execute the pip uninstall [packagename] command again.
    • Unix/macOS: After opening a terminal window, execute the command sudo su pip uninstall [packagename] .
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    Some packages also install dependencies, and these are not removed when you uninstall a package. There are two ways you can remove dependent packages:
    • Run a pip uninstall requirements.txt command. If the requirements file is not named requirements.txt , change the command to the proper requirements file name.
    • Run pip show [packagename] to see the dependencies for the given package. You can then use pip uninstall to uninstall these packages.
      • Always make sure the dependent packages are not dependencies for other packages you still have installed.
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      Tips

      • Pure distutils packages installed with setup.py install and script wrappers installed with setup.py develop cannot be removed with pip .
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      References

      1. ↑ https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/cli/pip_uninstall/

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