---
title: npm-uninstall
section: 1

description: Remove a package

Synopsis

npm uninstall [<@scope>/]<pkg>...

aliases: unlink, remove, rm, r, un

Description

This uninstalls a package, completely removing everything npm installed
on its behalf.

It also removes the package from the dependencies, devDependencies,
optionalDependencies, and peerDependencies objects in your
package.json.

Further, if you have an npm-shrinkwrap.json or package-lock.json, npm
will update those files as well.

--no-save will tell npm not to remove the package from your
package.json, npm-shrinkwrap.json, or package-lock.json files.

--save or -S will tell npm to remove the package from your
package.json, npm-shrinkwrap.json, and package-lock.json files.
This is the default, but you may need to use this if you have for
instance save=false in your npmrc file

In global mode (ie, with -g or --global appended to the command),
it uninstalls the current package context as a global package.
--no-save is ignored in this case.

Scope is optional and follows the usual rules for scope.

Examples

npm uninstall sax

sax will no longer be in your package.json, npm-shrinkwrap.json, or
package-lock.json files.

npm uninstall lodash --no-save

lodash will not be removed from your package.json,
npm-shrinkwrap.json, or package-lock.json files.

Configuration

save

• Default: true unless when using npm update where it defaults to false
• Type: Boolean

Save installed packages to a package.json file as dependencies.

When used with the npm rm command, removes the dependency from
package.json.

Will also prevent writing to package-lock.json if set to false.

global

• Default: false
• Type: Boolean

Operates in "global" mode, so that packages are installed into the prefix
folder instead of the current working directory. See
folders for more on the differences in behavior.

• packages are installed into the {prefix}/lib/node_modules folder, instead
  of the current working directory.
• bin files are linked to {prefix}/bin
• man pages are linked to {prefix}/share/man

workspace

• Default:
• Type: String (can be set multiple times)

Enable running a command in the context of the configured workspaces of the
current project while filtering by running only the workspaces defined by
this configuration option.

Valid values for the workspace config are either:

• Workspace names
• Path to a workspace directory
• Path to a parent workspace directory (will result in selecting all
  workspaces within that folder)

When set for the npm init command, this may be set to the folder of a
workspace which does not yet exist, to create the folder and set it up as a
brand new workspace within the project.

This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.

workspaces

• Default: null
• Type: null or Boolean

Set to true to run the command in the context of all configured
workspaces.

Explicitly setting this to false will cause commands like install to
ignore workspaces altogether. When not set explicitly:

• Commands that operate on the node_modules tree (install, update, etc.)
  will link workspaces into the node_modules folder. - Commands that do
  other things (test, exec, publish, etc.) will operate on the root project,
  unless one or more workspaces are specified in the workspace config.

This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.

include-workspace-root

• Default: false
• Type: Boolean

Include the workspace root when workspaces are enabled for a command.

When false, specifying individual workspaces via the workspace config, or
all workspaces via the workspaces flag, will cause npm to operate only on
the specified workspaces, and not on the root project.

This value is not exported to the environment for child processes.

install-links

• Default: false
• Type: Boolean

When set file: protocol dependencies will be packed and installed as regular
dependencies instead of creating a symlink. This option has no effect on
workspaces.

See Also

• npm prune
• npm install
• npm folders
• npm config
• npmrc