====== Ubuntu - Packages - Purge a package ======

Aptitude is preferred, but other approaches can be used if desired.

----

===== Using aptitude =====

Issue the command:

<code bash>
sudo aptitude purge package_name
</code>

To purge multiple packages at the same time, separate each package_name with a space.

Use the **remove** option instead to only remove the package but leave the configuration files.  This may or may not be the desired effect, so use with caution.

<code bash>
sudo aptitude remove package_name
</code>

----

===== Using dpkg =====

Issue the command:

<code bash>
sudo dpkg --purge package_name
</code>

To have dpkg ignore dependencies use this instead:

<code bash>
sudo dpkg --purge --ignore-depends package_name
</code>

**NOTE**: <nowiki>"--ignore-depends" used to be named "--force-depends"</nowiki>. 

If more than one package needs to be ignored, separate them with commas:

<code bash>
dpkg --purge --ignore-depends=package1,package2 package_name
</code>


<WRAP important>
**WARNING**:  Uninstalling packages using **dpkg**, in most cases, is NOT recommended.

It is better to use a package manager that handles dependencies to ensure that the system is in a consistent state.

For example using **dpkg -r zip** will remove the zip package, but any packages that depend on it will still be installed and may no longer function correctly.
</WRAP>