How do I remove all packages installed by pip?

To remove all packages installed by pip, follow these steps carefully. Warning: This will delete all Python packages in your environment, which could break system dependencies (if applied to the global Python installation). Use with caution!

1. List All Installed Packages

First, generate a list of installed packages and save it to a file:

pip list --format=freeze > requirements.txt

2. Uninstall All Packages

Use the list to uninstall everything:

pip uninstall -r requirements.txt -y

Notes:

• The -y flag skips confirmation prompts.
• Some packages (e.g., setuptools, pip, wheel) may fail to uninstall because they are essential. You can ignore these.

Alternative One-Liner

pip freeze | xargs pip uninstall -y

3. Handle Stubborn Packages

If some packages remain, manually delete the site-packages directory (nuclear option):

# Find your Python site-packages directory
python -m site --user-site

# Example path (replace with yours):
rm -rf ~/.local/lib/python3.10/site-packages/*

4. Reinstall pip (If Needed)

If pip itself was removed:

python -m ensurepip --upgrade

Important Considerations

1. Virtual Environments:
   If you’re working in a virtual environment, simply delete the environment folder instead:

   rm -rf /path/to/venv

2. System Python (Linux/macOS):
   Removing packages from the system Python may break OS dependencies. Use a virtual environment instead.
3. Windows:
   Use PowerShell commands for path operations:

   pip uninstall -y -r (pip list --format=freeze)

Best Practice

Use virtual environments (venv or conda) to isolate projects. This avoids global package conflicts and allows safe deletion of environments.