Uninstall Anaconda on Windows doesn't appear to fully remove it

[ijstokes]

I used the standard Windows "uninstaller" to remove anything that had Anaconda anything or Python anything in the name. I then tried to install Anaconda again from scratch, but was blocked because C:\Users\ijsto\Anaconda3 still existed. I did reboot in between the uninstall and the re-install. Perhaps related to #1126.

[ijstokes]

Looks like Start Menu isn't handled very well by the uninstall and install process either:

Related to #1087, but not quite the same thing.

[ijstokes]

And serendipitously a community member has reported a similar problem with Anaconda uninstall on the Anaconda ML:

https://groups.google.com/a/continuum.io/forum/#!topic/anaconda/z2VXkeqYNCk

[Grimmaldi]

@ijstokes

I'm not sure if the source of the problem is the same on Windows and Mac, but I found that the uninstaller for Anaconda3 didn't work when I ran it on Mac, until I edited the "anaconda-clean" file. After looking at the error message that it generated in the command line, I noticed that the "anaconda-clean" file uses "raw_input" rather than "input" (which doesn't work in Python 3). After changing the "raw_input" to "input", the uninstaller worked.

[ijstokes]

@csoja see comment above: that should probably be a separate issue and I suppose (@MulticastMatt) uninstall of Python 3.x versions of Anaconda should be part of the testing regime if it isn't already.

[csoja]

I believe @ilanschnell is making fixes to anaconda-clean to have it be compatible with Python3 as well as Python2. It was first included in the Anaconda Distribution v4.2. I'll circle up with QA on making sure uninstallation is part of the Anaconda Installer testing process.

[pletnes]

Just wanted to say that I experienced what appears to be the same problem with Anaconda 4.2 64-bit on windows 10 build 15063.

[nehaljwani]

@pletnes Do you experience the same problem with the Anaconda 5.0 release?

[pletnes]

@nehaljwani I've installed miniconda 4.3.27 and it seems to uninstall cleanly. Also Anaconda 5 will uninstall cleanly; at least, it's gone from the windows "uninstall programs" menu. The old anaconda links are still there so no way to be 100% sure.

Any instructions to how the system can be cleaned of anaconda 4.2 shortcuts and other junk?

[pbesra]

No such problem with Anaconda 5.0.

[princebhatia09]

@nehaljwani @ijstokes @pbesra

hi , i am using windows 7 and now i have a problem when i type python in my cmd box it displays python 3.6.3 Anaconda INC. and i cannot access my original python using cmd box

In my anaconda3 virtual_platform i have i installed python3.5 in my anaconda3 root i have python3.6.3 in my system outside anaconda3 i have python3.6

now i wish to access python outside anaconda3 using cmd

i used this command to set path of anaconda3 SETX Path "%PATH%;C:\Users\honey\Anaconda3\Scripts;C:\Users\honey\Anaconda3"

can any one tell what to do?

[BeyondAntares]

I'm having the same issues. I wanted to add anaconda commands to my windows terminal/ cmd but can't do a fresh install, nor is their a repair option. I'm running windows 10, Build 17046, I have anaconda 5.0.1 Running the uninstaller inside the root directory doesn't remove any files. The folder size remains unchanged, even after rebooting.

[hvaron]

I'm having the same issue on Windows 10 with Anaconda 5.1. It seems that previous installs are messing up my fresh install.

[vipul8907]

I too uninstalled anaconda but the files like ( .anaconda, .ipython, .jupyter, .matplotlib, .conda, .ipynb_checkpoints) are still there....I want to now install anaconda again but i think i will face issues with its performance...Could anyone help with this.

[csoja]

@vipul8907 did you follow the uninstall instructions in the documentation? https://docs.anaconda.com/anaconda/install/uninstall There is a pkg called anaconda-clean that can help clean up the other configuration files.

[alineat]

@csoja I just read this after I use the simple unistall Anaconda. This leave a few files behind as @vipul8907 previously commented. However, if you want to full uninstall using Anaconda-Clean you must run this before the simple remove. I don't know what else we can do in this case.

[MahreenAthar]

I removed anaconda using its uninstaller but it left files behind. @csoja I just read this after removing anaconda by its uninstaller. Is there any other way i can use anaconda-clean after removing anaconda by its uninstaller?

[csoja]

You cannot use anaconda-clean after removing Anaconda, but you can manually find and remove the files left behind. I would suggest backing them up first though, in case one of them has information you do not want lost.

Files to look for: '.anaconda', '.astropy', '.continuum', '.conda', '.condamanager', '.condarc', '.enthought', '.idlerc', '.glue', '.ipynb_checkpoints', '.ipython', '.jupyter', '.matplotlib', '.python-eggs', '.spyder2', '.spyder2-py3', '.theano'

Also, you will want to check your .bash_profile for anything related to Anaconda.

Hope that helps.

[pattoM]

Years later and no one has fixed it. I need to run something on default python 2.7 but anaconda took over launch with py -2.7. I uninstalled every anaconda installation but it still overrides it. Why can't this just be documented or just give users more autonomy to choose what is being overridden?

[tcapelle]

I will also add that i takes forever to uninstall in Windows 10, deleting files is super slow.

[AskFeeds]

@ijstokes

I'm not sure if the source of the problem is the same on Windows and Mac, but I found that the uninstaller for Anaconda3 didn't work when I ran it on Mac, until I edited the "anaconda-clean" file. After looking at the error message that it generated in the command line, I noticed that the "anaconda-clean" file uses "raw_input" rather than "input" (which doesn't work in Python 3). After changing the "raw_input" to "input", the uninstaller worked.

Thanks for the tip, it helped me too. As I guess there were residual files on my server, I had run the following commands to completely remove any references to anaconda 2.

$ rm -rf ~/anaconda2 
$ rm -rf ~/anaconda_backup 
$ rm -rf ~/.condarc ~/.conda ~/.continuum

[Baalkikhaal]

thanks to this issue... i understood it is important to know how to uninstall a program also.

[Baalkikhaal]

thanks to this issue... i understood it is important to know how to uninstall a program also.

[edwinagili]

This is 2020 and the problem still persists. I did a simple uninstall and now i cannot install anaconda3 again because it is still in the C drive. I have deleted everything, I mean everything down to AppData and cache, still it is there somehow. Does anyone support I change my default drive?

[Armandjg]

FWIW this still seems to be a problem. Anaconda 1.9.7 often breaks or performs quite poorly. The program hangs on uninstall for hours and has to be force quit. Environments still show up after uninstallation and often crash when re-used. My experience so far with anaconda navigator has not been good.

Edit: Anaconda navigator has been installing Rstudio for the past 30+ minutes on an AMD3800X NVME drive with a 1GB connection. It is the same situation when I have to install Spyder to a new environment.

[huytran38]

@edwinagili I think I might have the exact issue as you mentioned here. Were you able to figure out how to fix? I have been trying to reinstall anaconda3, even miniconda3, but cannot re-install.

[rushiKshirsagar]

Has anyone found a solution to this issue?

[aaronmavles]

Has anyone found a solution to this issue? @Rushi-Repo

I managed to get it of it by simply deleting the whole anaconda3 file, check for python on my windows via cmd and it was no longer there

[taystarlingtech]

I still have this problem and it messed with reinstalling python. It makes using any modules impossible. I haven't fixed it yet.

edit: reinstalled anaconda, followed the instructions for a proper install, still in the start menu after a restart. Found an Anaconda3 (64-bit) folder under C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs deleted that, will restart and see. It doesn't seem to be under C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs for all users but still appears in the start menu.

Edit 2: nope. still there after deleting it from the user start menu folder.

[taystarlingtech]

Huh. After deleting the anaconda .exe from the downloads folder it went away from the start menu. I was keeping it there for after uninstall. That's bizarre.

[giorgi-tsu]

Start menue items are still there.

I just followed what's written here and Start Menu shortcuts are still left untouched even after performing the so called "Full uninstall".