How to remove anaconda from windows completely?

Question

I installed Anaconda a while ago but recently decided to uninstall it and just install basic python 2.7.

I removed Anaconda and deleted all the directories and installed python 2.7.

But when I go to install PyGTK for Windows it says it will install it to the c:/users/.../Anaconda directory - this doesn't even exist. I want to install it to the c:/python-2.7 directory. Why does it think Anaconda is still installed? And how can I change this?

Answer 1

In the folder where you installed Anaconda (Example: C:\Users\username\Anaconda3) there should be an executable called Uninstall-Anaconda.exe. Double click on this file to start uninstall Anaconda.

That should do the trick as well.

Answer 2

I think this is the official solution: https://docs.anaconda.com/anaconda/install/uninstall/

[Unfortunately I did the simple remove (Uninstall-Anaconda.exe in C:\Users\username\Anaconda3 following the answers in stack overflow) before I found the official article, so I have to get rid of everything manually.]

But for the rest of you the official full removal could be interesting, so I copied it here:

To uninstall Anaconda, you can do a simple remove of the program. This will leave a few files behind, which for most users is just fine. See Option A.

If you also want to remove all traces of the configuration files and directories from Anaconda and its programs, you can download and use the Anaconda-Clean program first, then do a simple remove. See Option B.

1. Option A. Use simple remove to uninstall Anaconda:

   • Windows–In the Control Panel, choose Add or Remove Programs or Uninstall a program, and then select Python 3.6 (Anaconda) or your version of Python.
   • [... also solutions for Mac and Linux are provided here: https://docs.anaconda.com/anaconda/install/uninstall/ ]

2. Option B: Full uninstall using Anaconda-Clean and simple remove.

   NOTE: Anaconda-Clean must be run before simple remove.

   • Install the Anaconda-Clean package from Anaconda Prompt (Terminal on Linux or macOS):

     conda install anaconda-clean 

   • In the same window, run one of these commands:

     • Remove all Anaconda-related files and directories with a confirmation prompt before deleting each one:

       anaconda-clean 

     • Or, remove all Anaconda-related files and directories without being prompted to delete each one:

       anaconda-clean --yes 

     Anaconda-Clean creates a backup of all files and directories that might be removed in a folder named .anaconda_backup in your home directory. Also note that Anaconda-Clean leaves your data files in the AnacondaProjects directory untouched.

   • After using Anaconda-Clean, follow the instructions above in Option A to uninstall Anaconda.