Remove a Package

Basic Removal

The simplest way to remove a package from your system is to select the package from the package list, then click the "Unmerge" button in the toolbar. This will almost always do what you want.

However, this will not remove any dependencies that were installed when you installed the package. The safest way to remove these dependencies is to run the custom command "emerge --pretend --depclean", then manually remove the packages it returns that you know you don't need.

If any package complains about missing dependencies - make sure you reinstall the package that complains.

Removing a Specific Version

If you want to remove a specific version of a package (perhaps you have multiple versions of a package installed and one is now unnecessary), you can do so with the Advanced Emerge dialog, or equivalently you can right-click on the version you want to uninstall in the package summary, and select "Unmerge".

Advanced Dependency Removal

If you really want to get rid of all those useless dependencies, you're sure you don't need any of the packages output by "emerge --pretend --depclean", and you've read all the warnings it output twice over, then run the custom command "emerge --depclean". If you change your mind while it's unmerging, hit <Ctrl>+C in the terminal window or press the "Kill" button to stop it.


Notes: