python - How to uninstall Anaconda completely from macOS

Question

How can I completely uninstall Anaconda from MacOS Sierra and revert back to the original Python? I have tried using conda-clean -yes but that doesn't work. I also remove the stuff in ~/.bash_profile but it still uses the Anaconda python and I can still run the conda command.

Answer 1

To remove the configs:

conda install anaconda-clean
anaconda-clean --yes

Once the configs are removed you can delete the anaconda install folder, which is usually under your home dir:

rm -rf ~/anaconda3

Also, the anaconda-clean --yes command creates a backup in your home directory of the format ~/.anaconda_backup/<timestamp>. Make sure to delete that one also.

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EDIT (v5.2.0): Now if you want to clean all, you will also have to delete the two last lines added to your .bash_profile. They look like:

# added by Anaconda3 5.2.0 installer
export PATH="/Users/ody/anaconda3/bin:$PATH"

Answer 2

To uninstall Anaconda open a terminal window:

1. Remove the entire anaconda installation directory:

rm -rf ~/anaconda

2. Edit ~/.bash_profile and remove the anaconda directory from your PATH environment variable.

Note: You may need to edit .bashrc and/or .profile files instead of .bash_profile

3. Remove the following hidden files and directories, which may have been created in the home directory:

   • .condarc
   • .conda
   • .continuum

Use:

rm -rf ~/.condarc ~/.conda ~/.continuum

Answer 3

In my case (Mac High Sierra) it was installed at ~/opt/anaconda3.

https://docs.anaconda.com/anaconda/install/uninstall/

Answer 4

Open the terminal and remove your entire Anaconda directory, which will have a name such as “anaconda2” or “anaconda3”, by entering the following command: rm -rf ~/anaconda3. Then remove conda with command "conda uninstall" https://conda.io/docs/commands/conda-uninstall.html.

Answer 5

This is one more place that anaconda had an entry that was breaking my python install after removing Anaconda. Hoping this helps someone else.

If you are using yarn, I found this entry in my .yarn.rc file in ~/"username"

python "/Users/someone/anaconda3/bin/python3"

removing this line fixed one last place needed for complete removal. I am not sure how that entry was added but it helped

Answer 6

After performing the very helpful suggestions from both spicyramen & jkysam without immediate success, a simple restart of my Mac was needed to make the system recognize the changes. Hope this helps someone!

Answer 7

The official instructions seem to be here: https://docs.anaconda.com/anaconda/install/uninstall/

but if you like me that didn't work for some reason and for some reason your conda was installed somewhere else with telling you do this:

rm -rf ~/opt

I have no idea why it was saved there but that's what did it for me.

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This was useful to me in fixing my conda installation (if that is the reason you are uninstalling it in the first place like me): https://stackoverflow.com/a/60902863/1601580 that ended up fixing it for me. Not sure why conda was acting weird in the first place or installing things wrongly in the first place though...

Answer 8

The following line doesn't work?

rm -rf ~/anaconda3 

You should know where your anaconda3(or anaconda1, anaconda2) is installed. So write

which anaconda

output

output: somewhere

Now use that somewhere and run:

rm -rf somewhere 

Answer 9

This has worked for me:

conda remove --all --prefix /Users/username/anaconda/bin/python

then also remove from $PATH in .bash_profile

Answer 10

Adding export PATH="/Users/<username>/anaconda/bin:$PATH" (or export PATH="/Users/<username>/anaconda3/bin:$PATH" if you have anaconda 3) to my ~/.bash_profile file, fixed this issue for me.