www/content/blog/debian/force-package-removal.md

---
title: "Force package removal"
date: 2015-01-27
description: How to force the removal of a package on Debian
tags:
  - Debian
---

## How to force the removal of a package

Here is how to force package removal when post-uninstall script fails :
```sh
dpkg --purge --force-all <package>
```

There is another option if you need to be smarter or if it is a pre-uninstall script that fails. Look at `/var/lib/dpkg/info/<package>.*inst`, locate the line that fails, comment it out and try to purge again. Repeat until success!
Long overdue first commit with content 2020-04-28 17:29:52 +02:00			`---`
			`title: "Force package removal"`
			`date: 2015-01-27`
Tags overhaul to improve search results, and some light rewording or reformating 2021-09-13 00:48:07 +02:00			`description: How to force the removal of a package on Debian`
First big articles reformatting now that I properly understand hugo 2021-03-11 19:47:26 +01:00			`tags:`
Some more articles reformatting 2021-03-11 23:15:31 +01:00			`- Debian`
Long overdue first commit with content 2020-04-28 17:29:52 +02:00			`---`

First big articles reformatting now that I properly understand hugo 2021-03-11 19:47:26 +01:00			`## How to force the removal of a package`

Long overdue first commit with content 2020-04-28 17:29:52 +02:00			`Here is how to force package removal when post-uninstall script fails :`
Refactored syntax highlighting shortcodes into markdown 2023-04-23 22:33:49 +02:00			```sh
Long overdue first commit with content 2020-04-28 17:29:52 +02:00			`dpkg --purge --force-all <package>`
Refactored syntax highlighting shortcodes into markdown 2023-04-23 22:33:49 +02:00			```
Long overdue first commit with content 2020-04-28 17:29:52 +02:00
			There is another option if you need to be smarter or if it is a pre-uninstall script that fails. Look at `/var/lib/dpkg/info/<package>.*inst`, locate the line that fails, comment it out and try to purge again. Repeat until success!