How to remove a Conda environment (step-by-step guide)

To remove a conda environment, deactivate it, then run conda remove --name <ENV_NAME> --all in Anaconda Prompt on Windows or Terminal on macOS and Linux.

This guide covers the safety checks to run first, removal by name and by path, Anaconda Navigator and Desktop, batch removal, Jupyter kernel cleanup and fixes for the errors you are most likely to hit.

Step-by-step: remove a conda environment (the standard way)

This is the route Anaconda documents for every operating system. It deletes the environment folder and deregisters it from conda's list of known environments in one go.

1. Open Anaconda Prompt from the Start menu on Windows, or open Terminal on macOS or Linux.
2. Run conda info --envs and copy the exact name of the environment you want to delete. An asterisk marks the environment that is active right now.
3. If the environment you are deleting carries the asterisk, run conda deactivate so conda returns to the previous environment.
4. Run conda remove --name <ENV_NAME> --all, replacing <ENV_NAME> with the name you copied.
5. Run conda info --envs again and check that the name is no longer listed.

Keep the --all flag: it tells conda to remove the whole environment. Anaconda documents this exact command, and it deletes and deregisters the environment together.

Before you remove a conda environment: quick safety checks

Removal cannot be undone, so spend a minute on these checks. The export step is optional, but it is the only way back if you later need the same package set.

Check	Command or action	Why it matters
Confirm the environment name	conda info --envs	Names are exact; a typo removes nothing or the wrong environment
Make sure it is not active	Look for (ENV_NAME) in your prompt or the asterisk in the list, then run conda deactivate	You cannot cleanly remove the environment your shell is using
Optional: export before deletion	conda activate <ENV_NAME> then conda env export > environment.yml	Saves both conda and pip packages to a file you can share or rebuild from
Optional: export a lockfile (conda 26.5 or later)	conda export --name <ENV_NAME> --format conda-lock-v1 --file conda-lock.yml	Records exact package versions and sources, so a rebuild needs no re-solving
Close tools using it	Quit Jupyter, Spyder, VS Code terminals or scripts started from the environment	Open programs can keep files in the environment folder locked
Never target base	Pick a project environment, never base	base is where conda itself is installed

Running conda env export overwrites any environment.yml already in the current folder, so run it from an empty project folder or rename the old file first.

Which way to remove a conda environment should you use?

Your situation	Use this	Why
You know the environment name	conda remove --name <ENV_NAME> --all	Deletes and deregisters it in one command
The environment has no name or lives outside the envs folder	conda remove --prefix <PATH> --all	Works on any environment path conda knows about
You prefer a graphical app	Anaconda Navigator or Anaconda Desktop	Remove or Delete button, no command line
The folder is already gone or conda refuses	Manual deletion plus deregistering	Last resort; leaves a stale entry unless you clean it up
You have several environments to clear	A shell loop over conda remove	One command per environment, run in sequence

Platform-specific conda remove commands (Windows, macOS, Linux)

The conda command is identical on every platform. What changes is the app you open and the shape of the environment path.

Platform	Where to run it	Remove by name	Typical environment folder
Windows (Command Prompt or PowerShell)	Anaconda Prompt, which opens with conda initialized	conda remove --name <ENV_NAME> --all	C:\Users\<USERNAME>\anaconda3\envs\ or C:\Users\<USERNAME>\miniconda3\envs\
macOS (Terminal, iTerm2)	Terminal or any shell where conda is initialized	conda remove --name <ENV_NAME> --all	/opt/anaconda3/envs/ or /opt/miniconda3/envs/ after a .pkg install; anaconda3/envs/ or miniconda3/envs/ after a .sh install
Linux (Terminal)	Terminal or any shell where conda is initialized	conda remove --name <ENV_NAME> --all	anaconda3/envs/ or miniconda3/envs/ in the install location

Plain Command Prompt or PowerShell only recognises conda if conda was initialized for that shell, which is why Anaconda Prompt is the dependable choice on Windows. Conda changes PATH only while an environment is active, so there are no Windows environment variables to edit after a removal.

Removing a conda environment by path (when you know the location)

Use the path form for environments created with --prefix, environments stored outside the default envs folder, and entries that show only a path in the environment list.

1. Run conda info --envs and copy the full path shown for the environment.
2. Run conda deactivate if that environment is active.
3. Run conda remove --prefix <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY> --all, replacing the placeholder with the copied path.
4. On Windows, wrap a path that contains spaces in double quotes, for example conda remove --prefix "D:\My Envs\project" --all.
5. Run conda info --envs to check the path is gone.

Anaconda recommends this command for removing environments outside the miniconda3 folder before you uninstall Miniconda, because those folders are not removed by the uninstaller.

Remove a conda environment in Anaconda Navigator or Anaconda Desktop

Anaconda Distribution includes Navigator; Miniconda does not. Both apps call conda for you, so the result matches the command-line route.

1. In Anaconda Navigator, select Environments in the left-hand navigation and click the environment you want to delete.
2. Click Remove at the bottom of the environments list.
3. Click Remove again in the confirmation dialog.
4. In Anaconda Desktop, select Environments in the left navigation, then click Actions (the three-dot menu) beside the environment and select Delete.
5. Click Delete again to confirm. The environment disappears from the list.

Navigator removes only environments stored on your computer. A backup saved to your Anaconda.com account stays there until you delete it from the Environments tab of your Anaconda.com account settings.

Manually delete a conda environment folder (last resort, sometimes necessary)

Deleting the folder in File Explorer or Finder frees the disk space but leaves the path registered in environments.txt. Anaconda advises against it, so use it only when conda remove cannot run.

1. Find the envs directory: run conda info --envs and note the environment's full path.
2. Close every program that uses the environment, then run conda deactivate.
3. Try conda remove --prefix <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY> --all first; it deletes and deregisters a folder in one step.
4. If that fails, delete the environment folder in File Explorer, Finder or with rm -rf <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY> on macOS or Linux. Double-check the path, because rm -rf does not ask for confirmation.
5. Remove stale references: open %USERPROFILE%\.conda\environments.txt on Windows or ~/.conda/environments.txt on macOS and Linux in a text editor.
6. Delete the line that holds the removed environment's path, then save the file.
7. Run conda info --envs to confirm the entry no longer appears.

How to remove many conda environments (batch strategy)

Conda removes one environment per command, so a batch is a loop. Replace env1 env2 env3 with real names from conda info --envs, and never include base.

Option	Shell	Command
Option A: delete specific environments in a loop	Anaconda Prompt (cmd)	for %e in (env1 env2 env3) do conda remove --name %e --all
Option A: delete specific environments in a loop	PowerShell with conda initialized	foreach ($e in 'env1','env2','env3') { conda remove --name $e --all }
Option A: delete specific environments in a loop	bash or zsh on macOS and Linux	for e in env1 env2 env3; do conda remove --name "$e" --all; done
Option B: remove everything except base (careful)	Any	Run conda info --envs, copy every name except base into the Option A loop, then run it

Option B is deliberately manual. Building the list by hand stops a script from matching base or an environment you meant to keep. Inside a .bat file, double the percent signs: %%e.

Conda remove environment from Jupyter: delete the stale kernel

If you registered the environment as a Jupyter kernel, JupyterLab keeps listing it after the environment is gone. Starting that kernel fails with a "No such file or directory" error.

1. Open Anaconda Prompt or Terminal in an environment that has Jupyter installed.
2. Run jupyter kernelspec list and find the kernel named after the removed environment.
3. Run jupyter kernelspec remove <KERNEL_NAME>, replacing the placeholder with that kernel name.
4. Relaunch JupyterLab. The kernel no longer appears in the kernel selector.

How to check a conda environment is deleted

conda info --envs

Lists every environment conda knows about, with its path. The active environment carries an asterisk.

You should see: The removed name and path are missing from the list, and the folder no longer exists under the envs directory shown for your other environments.

If the name is gone but the folder remains, close any program that was using it and delete the folder. If the folder is gone but the name remains, remove its line from environments.txt.

What gets removed with a conda environment (and what usually doesn’t)

Each conda environment is a complete software stack in its own directory. Removing it deletes that directory, but conda keeps some files elsewhere.

Item	Removed by conda remove –all?	Where it lives
Python interpreter and conda packages in the environment	Yes	The environment folder
pip packages installed while the environment was active	Yes	The environment folder
The entry in conda's environment list	Yes	environments.txt in your .conda folder
Downloaded package files in the package cache	No	pkgs in the install folder, for example C:\Users\username\Anaconda3\pkgs; run conda info and read package cache
Jupyter kernel registrations	No	Jupyter's kernelspec folders; remove with jupyter kernelspec remove
Exported environment.yml or lockfiles	No	Wherever you saved them
Backups on Anaconda.com	No	Your Anaconda.com account settings
Your project code and data	No, unless saved inside the environment folder	Your project folders

This is why the disk can shrink less than expected: packages stay in the shared cache so other environments and future installs can reuse them.

Conda, Mambaforge, Miniforge and Miniconda: any differences when removing environments?

The removal command belongs to conda, not to the installer. If conda info runs in your shell, conda remove --name <ENV_NAME> --all works the same way.

Installer	Includes conda	Graphical removal	Notes
Anaconda Distribution	Yes	Yes, Anaconda Navigator	600+ packages in a pre-built base environment
Miniconda	Yes	No	Minimal base environment; folder is miniconda3
Miniconda protected base installer (beta)	Yes	No	Folder is miniconda3_pbe; base is read-only and a python-<VERSION> working environment is created for you
Miniforge and Mambaforge	Check with conda info	No	Not Anaconda products; environment folders follow the install directory name

Only the default folder changes between installers, so read the path from conda info --envs rather than assuming anaconda3.

Common conda remove environment failure modes (and what to try)

Error: environment is currently in use

The environment is active in this shell, or another program is running from it.

1. Run conda deactivate until the environment's name no longer appears in your prompt.
2. Close Jupyter, Spyder, IDE terminals and scripts that use the environment.
3. Run conda remove --name <ENV_NAME> --all again.

Error: environment not found

The name is misspelled, or the environment was created by path and has no name conda can match.

1. Run conda info --envs and copy the name exactly, including case.
2. If the entry shows only a path, remove it with conda remove --prefix <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY> --all.
3. If the folder was already deleted, remove its line from environments.txt.

DirectoryNotACondaEnvironmentError: the target directory exists, but it is not a conda environment

Anaconda documents this error when no conda environment is active in your shell.

1. Run conda activate to activate base.
2. Run the removal command again from base.

"command not found: conda" before you can remove anything

Conda is not initialized in the shell you opened, which mostly happens on macOS and Linux.

1. On Windows, open Anaconda Prompt instead of plain Command Prompt or PowerShell.
2. On macOS or Linux, close and reopen Terminal after installing, or run source ~/.bashrc or source ~/.zshrc.
3. If it still fails, run <PATH_TO_CONDA>/bin/conda init, for example /opt/miniconda3/bin/conda init, then reopen Terminal.

RemoveError or dependency metadata issues

Conda could not finish removing the environment by name, often after an interrupted install or a partly deleted folder.

1. Remove by path instead: conda remove --prefix <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY> --all.
2. If that also fails, delete the folder manually and remove its line from environments.txt.

It removed something, but the disk didn't shrink much

Downloaded packages stay in the shared pkgs cache, which no environment removal touches.

1. Run conda info and note the package cache path.
2. Check that path's size; it is often larger than any single environment.
3. If several conda installations each keep their own cache, point them at one shared cache with a pkgs_dirs entry in .condarc so packages are stored once.

JupyterLab still lists the removed environment

The kernel spec was registered separately and survives the environment.

1. Run jupyter kernelspec list.
2. Run jupyter kernelspec remove <KERNEL_NAME> and relaunch JupyterLab.

Removing conda environments FAQ

How do I delete a conda environment?

Deactivate it with conda deactivate, then run conda remove --name <ENV_NAME> --all in Anaconda Prompt or Terminal. Conda deletes the environment folder and removes it from its list of environments. Run conda info --envs afterwards to confirm it is gone.

How do I remove a conda environment and all its packages?

conda remove --name <ENV_NAME> --all removes the environment and every package installed in it, including pip packages. Downloaded package files remain in the shared pkgs cache, which you can check with conda info.

How do I remove a conda environment completely?

Use conda remove --name <ENV_NAME> --all rather than deleting the folder, because the command also deregisters the environment. Then remove any Jupyter kernel for it with jupyter kernelspec remove and delete exported files you no longer need.

Can I remove the base environment?

No, not as a normal environment. base is where conda itself is installed, so removing it means uninstalling Anaconda or Miniconda. On Windows you can uninstall Anaconda like any other program or run its uninstaller from the install folder.

Will removing an environment delete my pip packages?

Yes. pip packages installed while the environment was active live inside the environment folder, so conda remove --all deletes them too. Run conda env export > environment.yml first if you want a record, because the export includes both conda and pip packages.

How do I remove a conda environment from base?

Run conda deactivate until your prompt shows (base), then run conda remove --name <ENV_NAME> --all. Working from base keeps the target environment inactive, which is what the removal needs.

How do I remove a conda environment from Jupyter?

Run jupyter kernelspec list, find the kernel named after the environment, then run jupyter kernelspec remove <KERNEL_NAME>. Relaunch JupyterLab and the kernel disappears from the selector. Removing the conda environment alone does not remove the kernel.

Can I just delete the conda environment folder?

You can, but Anaconda advises against using File Explorer for it. The space is freed, yet the path stays in environments.txt. Use conda remove --prefix <PATH_TO_ENV_DIRECTORY> --all instead, which deletes and deregisters the folder.