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.

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:

Windows

(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 deregisters them from your user files.

3. Open your preferred shell.

4. 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>
   

Control Panel uninstall

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