pacman
package manager utility
TLDR
Synchronize and update all packages
Install a new package
Remove a package and its dependencies
Search the package database for a regular expression or keyword
List installed packages and versions
List only the explicitly installed packages and versions
Find which package owns a certain file
Empty package cache to free up space
SYNOPSIS
"QUERY OPTIONS (APPLY TO I −Q R)"
-c, --changelog View the ChangeLog of a package if it exists .
-d, --deps Restrict or filter output to packages installed as dependencies . This option can be combined with -t for listing real orphans -packages that were installed as dependencies but are no longer required by any installed package .
-e, --explicit Restrict or filter output to explicitly installed packages . This option can be combined with -t to list explicitly installed packages that are not required by any other package .
-g, --groups Display all packages that are members of a named group . If a name is not specified, list all grouped packages .
-i, --info Display information on a given package . The -p option can be used if querying a package file instead of the local database . Passing two --info or -i flags will also display the list of backup files and their modification states .
-k, --check Check that all files owned by the given package(s) are present on the system . If packages are not specified or filter flags are not provided, check all installed packages . Specifying this option twice will perform more detailed file checking (including permissions, file sizes, and modification times) for packages that contain the needed mtree file .
-l, --list List all files owned by a given package . Multiple packages can be specified on the command line .
-m, --foreign Restrict or filter output to packages that were not found in the sync database(s) . Typically these are packages that were downloaded manually and installed with --upgrade .
-n, --native Restrict or filter output to packages that are found in the sync database(s) . This is the inverse filter of --foreign .
-o, --owns <file> Search for packages that own the specified file(s) . The path can be relative or absolute, and one or more files can be specified .
-p, --file Signifies that the package supplied on the command line is a file and not an entry in the database . The file will be decompressed and queried . This is useful in combination with --info and --list .
-q, --quiet Show less information for certain query operations . This is useful when pacman output is processed in a script . Search will only show package names and not version, group, and description information; owns will only show package names instead of "file is owned by pkg" messages; group will only show package names and omit group names; list will only show files and omit package names; check will only show pairs of package names and missing files; a bare query will only show package names rather than names and versions .
-s, --search <regexp> Search each locally -installed package for names or descriptions that match regexp . When including multiple search terms, only packages with descriptions matching ALL of those terms are returned .
-t, --unrequired Restrict or filter output to print only packages neither required nor optionally required by any currently installed package . Specify this option twice to include packages which are optionally, but not directly, required by another package .
-u, --upgrades Restrict or filter output to packages that are out -of -date on the local system . Only package versions are used to find outdated packages; replacements are not checked here . This option works best if the sync database is refreshed using -Sy .
"REMOVE OPTIONS (APPLY TO I −R R)"
-c, --cascade Remove all target packages, as well as all packages that depend on one or more target packages . This operation is recursive and must be used with care, since it can remove many potentially needed packages .
-n, --nosave Instructs pacman to ignore file backup designations . Normally, when a file is removed from the system, the database is checked to see if the file should be renamed with a .pacsave extension .
-s, --recursive Remove each target specified including all of their dependencies, provided that (A) they are not required by other packages; and (B) they were not explicitly installed by the user . This operation is recursive and analogous to a backwards --sync operation, and it helps keep a clean system without orphans . If you want to omit condition (B), pass this option twice .
-u, --unneeded Removes targets that are not required by any other packages . This is mostly useful when removing a group without using the -c option, to avoid breaking any dependencies .
"SYNC OPTIONS (APPLY TO I −S R)"
-c, --clean Remove packages that are no longer installed from the cache as well as currently unused sync databases to free up disk space . When pacman downloads packages, it saves them in a cache directory . In addition, databases are saved for every sync DB you download from and are not deleted even if they are removed from the configuration file pacman.conf (5). Use one --clean switch to only remove packages that are no longer installed; use two to remove all files from the cache . In both cases, you will have a yes or no option to remove packages and/or unused downloaded databases .
If you use a network shared cache, see the CleanMethod option in pacman.conf (5).-g, --groups Display all the members for each package group specified . If no group names are provided, all groups will be listed; pass the flag twice to view all groups and their members .
-i, --info Display information on a given sync database package . Passing two --info or -i flags will also display those packages in all repositories that depend on this package .
-l, --list List all packages in the specified repositories . Multiple repositories can be specified on the command line .
-q, --quiet Show less information for certain sync operations . This is useful when pacman output is processed in a script . Search will only show package names and not repository, version, group, and description information; list will only show package names and omit databases and versions; group will only show package names and omit group names .
-s, --search <regexp> This will search each package in the sync databases for names or descriptions that match regexp . When you include multiple search terms, only packages with descriptions matching ALL of those terms will be returned .
-u, --sysupgrade Upgrades all packages that are out -of -date . Each currently -installed package will be examined and upgraded if a newer package exists . A report of all packages to upgrade will be presented, and the operation will not proceed without user confirmation . Dependencies are automatically resolved at this level and will be installed/upgraded if necessary . Pass this option twice to enable package downgrades; in this case, pacman will select sync packages whose versions do not match with the local versions . This can be useful when the user switches from a testing repository to a stable one . Additional targets can also be specified manually, so that -Su foo will do a system upgrade and install/upgrade the "foo" package in the same operation .
-w, --downloadonly Retrieve all packages from the server, but do not install/upgrade anything .
-y, --refresh Download a fresh copy of the master package database from the server(s) defined in pacman.conf (5). This should typically be used each time you use --sysupgrade or -u . Passing two --refresh or -y flags will force a refresh of all package databases, even if they appear to be up -to -date .
"DATABASE OPTIONS (APPLY TO I −D R)"
--asdeps <package> Mark a package as non -explicitly installed; in other words, set their install reason to be installed as a dependency .
--asexplicit <package> Mark a package as explicitly installed; in other words, set their install reason to be explicitly installed . This is useful it you want to keep a package installed even when it was initially installed as a dependency of another package .
-k, --check Check the local package database is internally consistent . This will check all required files are present and that installed packages have the required dependencies, do not conflict and that multiple packages do not own the same file . Specifying this option twice will perform a check on the sync databases to ensure all specified dependencies are available .
-q, --quiet Suppress messages on successful completion of database operations .
"FILE OPTIONS (APPLY TO I −F R)"
-y, --refresh Download fresh package databases from the server . Use twice to force a refresh even if databases are up to date .
-l, --list List the files owned by the queried package .
-s, --search Search package file names for matching strings .
-x, --regex Treat arguments to --search as regular expressions .
-o, --owns Search for packages that own a particular file .
-q, --quiet Show less information for certain file operations . This is useful when pacman output is processed in a script, however, you may want to use --machinereadable instead .
--machinereadable Use a machine readable output format for --list , --search and --owns . The format is repository\ 0pkgname \ 0pkgver \ 0path \ n with \ 0 being the NULL character and \ n a linefeed .
HANDLING CONFIG FILES
original=X, current=X, new=X All three files are the same, so overwrites are not an issue . Install the new file .
original=X, current=X, new=Y The current file is the same as the original, but the new one differs . Since the user did not ever modify the file, and the new one may contain improvements or bug fixes, install the new file .
original=X, current=Y, new=X Both package versions contain the exact same file, but the one on the file system has been modified . Leave the current file in place .
original=X, current=Y, new=Y The new file is identical to the current file . Install the new file .
original=X, current=Y, new=Z All three files are different, so install the new file with a .pacnew extension and warn the user . The user must then manually merge any necessary changes into the original file .
original=NULL, current=Y, new=Z The package was not previously installed, and the file already exists on the file system . Install the new file with a .pacnew extension and warn the user . The user must then manually merge any necessary changes into the original file .
EXAMPLES
pacman -Ss ne .hack Search for regexp "ne .hack" in package database .
pacman -S gpm Download and install gpm including dependencies .
pacman -U /home/user/ceofhack -0 .6 -1 -x86_64 .pkg .tar .gz Install ceofhack -0 .6 -1 package from a local file .
pacman -Syu Update package list and upgrade all packages afterwards .
pacman -Syu gpm Update package list, upgrade all packages, and then install gpm if it wasn already installed .
CONFIGURATION
BUGS
AUTHORS
2.3 Allan McRae <allan@archlinux .org> '-04' '+03' .sp -1
2.3 Andrew Gregory <andrew .gregory .8@gmail .com> '-04' '+03' .sp -1
2.3 Dan McGee <dan@archlinux .org> '-04' '+03' .sp -1
2.3 Dave Reisner <dreisner@archlinux .org> Past major contributors: '-04' '+03' .sp -1
2.3 Judd Vinet <jvinet@zeroflux .org> '-04' '+03' .sp -1
2.3 Aurelien Foret <aurelien@archlinux .org> '-04' '+03' .sp -1
2.3 Aaron Griffin <aaron@archlinux .org> '-04' '+03' .sp -1
2.3 Xavier Chantry <shiningxc@gmail .com> '-04' '+03' .sp -1
2.3 Nagy Gabor <ngaba@bibl .u -szeged .hu> For additional contributors, use git shortlog -s on the pacman .git repository .
"TRANSACTION OPTIONS (APPLY TO I −S R, I −R R AND I −U R)"
-d, --nodeps Skips dependency version checks . Package names are still checked . Normally, pacman will always check a package dependency fields to ensure that all dependencies are installed and there are no package conflicts in the system . Specify this option twice to skip all dependency checks .
--assume -installed <package=version> Add a virtual package "package" with version "version" to the transaction to satisfy dependencies . This allows to disable specific dependency checks without affecting all dependency checks . To disable all dependency checking, see the --nodeps option .
--dbonly Adds/removes the database entry only, leaving all files in place .
--noprogressbar Do not show a progress bar when downloading files . This can be useful for scripts that call pacman and capture the output .
--noscriptlet If an install scriptlet exists, do not execute it . Do not use this unless you know what you are doing .
-p, --print Only print the targets instead of performing the actual operation (sync, remove or upgrade) . Use --print -format to specify how targets are displayed . The default format string is "%l", which displays URLs with -S ,file names with -U ,and pkgname -pkgver with -R .
--print -format <format> Specify a printf -like format to control the output of the --print operation . The possible attributes are: "%n" for pkgname, "%v" for pkgver, "%l" for location, "%r" for repository, and "%s" for size . Implies --print .
OPTIONS
-b, --dbpath <path> Specify an alternative database location (the default is /var/lib/pacman) . This should not be used unless you know what you are doing . NOTE :If specified, this is an absolute path, and the root path is not automatically prepended .
-r, --root <path> Specify an alternative installation root (default is /) . This should not be used as a way to install software into /usr/local instead of /usr . NOTE :If database path or log file are not specified on either the command line or in pacman.conf (5),their default location will be inside this root path . NOTE :This option is not suitable for performing operations on a mounted guest system . See --sysroot instead .
-v, --verbose Output paths such as as the Root, Conf File, DB Path, Cache Dirs, etc .
--arch <arch> Specify an alternate architecture .
--cachedir <dir> Specify an alternative package cache location (the default is /var/cache/pacman/pkg) . Multiple cache directories can be specified, and they are tried in the order they are passed to pacman . NOTE :This is an absolute path, and the root path is not automatically prepended .
--color <when> Specify when to enable coloring . Valid options are always , never ,or auto . always forces colors on; never forces colors off; and auto only automatically enables colors when outputting onto a tty .
--config <file> Specify an alternate configuration file .
--debug Display debug messages . When reporting bugs, this option is recommended to be used .
--gpgdir <dir> Specify a directory of files used by GnuPG to verify package signatures (the default is /etc/pacman .d/gnupg) . This directory should contain two files: pubring .gpg and trustdb .gpg . pubring .gpg holds the public keys of all packagers . trustdb .gpg contains a so -called trust database, which specifies that the keys are authentic and trusted . NOTE :This is an absolute path, and the root path is not automatically prepended .
--hookdir <dir> Specify a alternative directory containing hook files (the default is /etc/pacman .d/hooks) . Multiple hook directories can be specified with hooks in later directories taking precedence over hooks in earlier directories . NOTE :This is an absolute path, and the root path is not automatically prepended .
--logfile <file> Specify an alternate log file . This is an absolute path, regardless of the installation root setting .
--noconfirm Bypass any and all you sure? messages . It not a good idea to do this unless you want to run pacman from a script .
--confirm Cancels the effects of a previous --noconfirm .
--disable -download -timeout Disable defaults for low speed limit and timeout on downloads . Use this if you have issues downloading files with proxy and/or security gateway .
--sysroot <dir> Specify an alternative system root . Pacman will chroot and chdir into the system root prior to running . This allows mounted guest systems to be properly operated on . Any other paths given will be interpreted as relative to the system root . Requires root privileges .
"UPGRADE OPTIONS (APPLY TO I −S R AND I −U R)"
--asdeps Install packages non -explicitly; in other words, fake their install reason to be installed as a dependency . This is useful for makepkg and other build -from -source tools that need to install dependencies before building the package .
--asexplicit Install packages explicitly; in other words, fake their install reason to be explicitly installed . This is useful if you want to mark a dependency as explicitly installed so it will not be removed by the --recursive remove operation .
--ignore <package> Directs pacman to ignore upgrades of package even if there is one available . Multiple packages can be specified by separating them with a comma .
--ignoregroup <group> Directs pacman to ignore upgrades of all packages in group ,even if there is one available . Multiple groups can be specified by separating them with a comma .
--needed Do not reinstall the targets that are already up -to -date .
--overwrite <glob> Bypass file conflict checks and overwrite conflicting files . If the package that is about to be installed contains files that are already installed and match glob ,this option will cause all those files to be overwritten . Using --overwrite will not allow overwriting a directory with a file or installing packages with conflicting files and directories . Multiple patterns can be specified by separating them with a comma . May be specified multiple times . Patterns can be negated, such that files matching them will not be overwritten, by prefixing them with an exclamation mark . Subsequent matches will override previous ones . A leading literal exclamation mark or backslash needs to be escaped .
DESCRIPTION
OPERATIONS
-D, --database Operate on the package database . This operation allows you to modify certain attributes of the installed packages in pacman database . It also allows you to check the databases for internal consistency . See Database Options below .
-Q, --query Query the package database . This operation allows you to view installed packages and their files, as well as meta -information about individual packages (dependencies, conflicts, install date, build date, size) . This can be run against the local package database or can be used on individual package files . In the first case, if no package names are provided in the command line, all installed packages will be queried . Additionally, various filters can be applied on the package list . See Query Options below .
-R, --remove Remove package(s) from the system . Groups can also be specified to be removed, in which case every package in that group will be removed . Files belonging to the specified package will be deleted, and the database will be updated . Most configuration files will be saved with a .pacsave extension unless the --nosave option is used . See Remove Options below .
-S, --sync Synchronize packages . Packages are installed directly from the remote repositories, including all dependencies required to run the packages . For example, pacman -S qt will download and install qt and all the packages it depends on . If a package name exists in more than one repository, the repository can be explicitly specified to clarify the package to install: pacman -S testing/qt . You can also specify version requirements: pacman -S "bash>=3 .2" . Quotes are needed, otherwise the shell interprets ">" as redirection to a file .
Alphanumeric: 1 .0a < 1 .0b < 1 .0beta < 1 .0p < 1 .0pre < 1 .0rc < 1 .0 < 1 .0 .a < 1 .0 .1 Numeric: 1 < 1 .0 < 1 .1 < 1 .1 .1 < 1 .2 < 2 .0 < 3 .0 .0 .RE Additionally, version strings can have an epoch value defined that will overrule any version comparison, unless the epoch values are equal . This is specified in an epoch:version -rel format . For example, 2:1 .0 -1 is always greater than 1:3 .6 -1 .
-T, --deptest Check dependencies; this is useful in scripts such as makepkg to check installed packages . This operation will check each dependency specified and return a list of dependencies that are not currently satisfied on the system . This operation accepts no other options . Example usage: pacman -T qt "bash>=3 .2" .
-U, --upgrade Upgrade or add package(s) to the system and install the required dependencies from sync repositories . Either a URL or file path can be specified . This is a -then -add process . See Upgrade Options below; also see Handling Config Files for an explanation on how pacman takes care of configuration files .
-F, --files Query the files database . This operation allows you to look for packages owning certain files or display files owned by certain packages . Only packages that are part of your sync databases are searched . See File Options below .
-V, --version Display version and exit .
-h, --help Display syntax for the given operation . If no operation was supplied, then the general syntax is shown .
SEE ALSO
alpm-hooks(5), libalpm(3), makepkg(8), pacman.conf(5) See the pacman website at https://www .archlinux .org/pacman/ for current information on pacman and its related tools .
