Uninstalling Anaconda Distribution

Need to uninstall Anaconda Navigator?

For specific instructions on how to uninstall Anaconda Navigator, see Uninstalling Navigator.

Need to uninstall Miniconda?

For specific instructions on how to uninstall Miniconda, see Uninstalling Miniconda.

This page provides comprehensive uninstallation procedures for Anaconda Distribution for all operating systems, including options for silent removal and cleanup of associated configuration files, caches, and user data.

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:

conda env export --name <ENV_NAME> > <ENV_NAME>.yaml

Replace <ENV_NAME> with the name of the environment you want to back up.

You can use this .yaml file to recreate your environments after reinstalling. For more information, see Creating an environment.

Uninstall procedure

Follow the uninstall procedure below for your operating system:

Windows
macOS or Linux

Control Panel uninstall
Silent CLI uninstall

(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
1. Open Anaconda Prompt.
2. 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.
3. Uninstall the directory by running the following command:
  C:\Users\<YOUR_USERNAME>\anaconda3\_conda constructor uninstall --prefix <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY>
  Replace <YOUR_USERNAME> with your Windows username.
  Replace <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY> with the path to the directory that contains the environments.
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.
(Optional) Verify your uninstall was successful by searching for “Anaconda Prompt” in the taskbar search. The program should no longer appear.

(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
1. Open Anaconda Prompt.
2. 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.
3. Uninstall the directory by running the following command:
  C:\Users\<YOUR_USERNAME>\anaconda3\_conda constructor uninstall --prefix <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY>
  Replace <YOUR_USERNAME> with your Windows username.
  Replace <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY> with the path to the directory that contains the environments.

Silently uninstall Anaconda Distribution using either Command Prompt or PowerShell:

Command Prompt
PowerShell

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

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

As of Anaconda Distribution 2025.06, you can also use additional arguments to remove other files from your system.

Optional uninstall arguments

These arguments are not recommended if you have multiple conda installations.

Argument	Values	Description
`/RemoveCaches=`	`0` `1`	Removes caches (such as package and index caches, among others).
`/RemoveConfigFiles=`	`none` `user` `system` `all`	Removes configuration files such as `.condarc` files. `user` removes the files inside the current user’s home directory and `system` removes files outside of that directory.
`/RemoveUserData=`	`0` `1`	Removes user data, such as the `%USERPROFILE%\.conda` directory.

Example uninstall command with optional arguments

start /wait .\anaconda3\Uninstall-Anaconda3.exe /S /RemoveCaches=1 /RemoveConfigFiles=user /RemoveUserData=1

Open a new PowerShell window and run the following command:

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

As of Anaconda Distribution 2025.06, you can also use additional arguments to remove other files from your system.

Optional uninstall arguments

These arguments are not recommended if you have multiple conda installations.

Argument	Values	Description
`/RemoveCaches=`	`0` `1`	Removes caches (such as package and index caches, among others).
`/RemoveConfigFiles=`	`none` `user` `system` `all`	Removes configuration files such as `.condarc` files. `user` removes the files inside the current user’s home directory and `system` removes files outside of that directory.
`/RemoveUserData=`	`0` `1`	Removes user data, such as such as the `${env:USERPROFILE}/.conda` directory.

Example uninstall command with optional arguments

Start-Process -FilePath ".\anaconda3\Uninstall-Anaconda3.exe" -ArgumentList "/S /RemoveCaches=1 /RemoveConfigFiles=user /RemoveUserData=1" -Wait

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

(Optional) Verify your uninstall was successful by searching for “Anaconda Prompt” in the taskbar search. The program should no longer appear.

Files left behind after uninstalling Anaconda on Windows

Cause

Some users may need to keep settings files and other users may need to delete them, so Anaconda leaves some settings files in place when it is uninstalled. Specifically, the directories .spyder2, .ipython, .matplotlib, and .astropy remain. Depending on your version of Windows, these may be in C:\Documents and Settings\<USERNAME> or in C:\Users\<USERNAME>.

Replace <USERNAME> with your Windows username as it appears in the Documents and Settings or Users folder.

Solution

Manually delete any unneeded settings files.

Uninstaller requests admin privileges on Windows

Cause

After installing Anaconda or Miniconda as a non-administrative user on Windows, uninstalling may prompt for administrative privileges.

This occurs when running the uninstaller by choosing Control Panel > Uninstall a program, selecting Anaconda or Miniconda from the list of programs, and clicking Uninstall.

Solution

Open the anaconda3 or miniconda3 installation folders and run the .exe file uninstaller from that location. Uninstallation will complete without prompting for administrative privileges.

EXAMPLE: If you installed Miniconda3, the uninstall file will be Uninstall-Miniconda3.exe. Users who installed Miniconda2 or Anaconda will find a similar file with the appropriate name.

Open a new terminal application window.
(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
1. 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.
2. Uninstall the directory by running the following command:
  ~/anaconda3/_conda constructor uninstall --prefix <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY>
  Replace <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY> with the path to the directory that contains the environments.

Use the following table to determine the uninstall path that’s right for you:

Uninstall path	Use case
Basic	You want a simple uninstall and you don’t care if a few files are left behind.
System	You want a simple uninstall, but your install is in a system folder (like `/usr/` or `/opt/`). This happens when you use the macOS `.pkg` installer, for instance. Not sure where your install is? Run `conda info --base`.
Advanced	You want more control over your uninstall, like choosing to remove config files or user data.
Manual	You don’t have an `uninstall.sh` script to use because you installed with an installer older than Anaconda Distribution version 2025.06.

Basic uninstall
System uninstall
Advanced uninstall
Manual uninstall

Deactivate your (base) environment by running the following command:
```
conda deactivate
```
You should no longer see (base) in your terminal prompt.
Run the uninstall script:
```
~/anaconda3/uninstall.sh
```

Deactivate your (base) environment by running the following command:
```
conda deactivate
```
You should no longer see (base) in your terminal prompt.
Run the uninstall script with admin privileges:
```
sudo -E /opt/anaconda3/uninstall.sh
```

Deactivate your (base) environment by running the following command:
```
conda deactivate
```
You should no longer see (base) in your terminal prompt.

Run the uninstall script with additional arguments to remove files:

Including additional uninstall arguments is optional. These arguments remove additional files from your system.

If any files outside the installation directory are symlinks, it’s possible that only the link will be removed, not the underlying files, meaning you’ll need to find and delete them manually.

These arguments are not recommended if you have multiple conda installations.

Optional uninstall arguments

Argument	Values	Description
`--remove-caches`		Removes caches (such as package and index caches, among others).
`--remove-config-files`	`user` `system` `all`	Removes configuration files such as `.condarc` files. `user` removes the files inside the current user’s home directory and `system` removes all files outside of that directory.
`--remove-user-data`		Removes user data, such as the `~/.conda` directory.

~/anaconda3/uninstall.sh --remove-caches --remove-config-files user --remove-user-data

(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.
Example commands for deleting your anaconda3 folder
```
# Run only one of the following commands, depending on your directory location
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
```

(Optional) Verify your install by closing and reopening your terminal window and making sure that (base) does not reappear in your terminal prompt.

Getting Started

​Backing up environments

​Uninstall procedure

​Files left behind after uninstalling Anaconda on Windows

​Uninstaller requests admin privileges on Windows

Backing up environments

Uninstall procedure

Files left behind after uninstalling Anaconda on Windows

Uninstaller requests admin privileges on Windows