pkgutil

Query and manage macOS package receipts

TLDR

List installed packages

$ pkgutil --pkgs

Show package info

$ pkgutil --pkg-info [com.apple.pkg.Safari]

List package files

$ pkgutil --files [com.apple.pkg.Safari]

Find which package owns a file

$ pkgutil --file-info [/usr/bin/python3]

Forget package receipt (does not uninstall files)

$ sudo pkgutil --forget [com.example.package]

Expand a package for inspection

$ pkgutil --expand [package.pkg] [expanded_dir]

pkgutil is macOS's package receipt management utility. It queries the installer database to list installed packages, show package metadata, verify installation integrity, and list files belonging to a package.The --forget command removes a package receipt from the database without deleting any installed files, useful for cleaning up stale entries. The --expand command extracts a .pkg archive for inspection. Package identifiers use reverse-DNS notation (e.g., com.apple.pkg.Safari).Note that pkgutil manages receipts only - it cannot install or uninstall packages. Use installer for installation and manual removal for uninstallation.

PARAMETERS

--pkgs

List all packages.

--pkg-info id

Show package information.

--files id

List installed files.

--verify id

Verify package installation.

--forget id

Remove package receipt.

--file-info path

Show which package installed a specific file.

--only-files

List only files (not directories) in --files output.

--only-dirs

List only directories (not files) in --files output.

--regexp

Match package-id arguments as regular expressions.

--expand pkg dir

Expand flat package into a directory for inspection.

--flatten pkg dir

Flatten an expanded package into a flat package.

--bom path

Extract BOM files from a flat package.

--volume path

Target volume (default: /).

-f, --force

Skip confirmation for destructive operations.

-v, --verbose

Human-readable output with extra context.

EXAMPLES

$ # List all Apple packages
pkgutil --pkgs | grep com.apple

# Get package details
pkgutil --pkg-info com.apple.pkg.Safari

# List package files
pkgutil --files com.apple.pkg.Safari | head

# Find package owning file
pkgutil --file-info /usr/bin/python3

# Expand pkg for inspection
pkgutil --expand package.pkg expanded_dir

CAVEATS

macOS-specific. --forget doesn't uninstall, only removes receipt. Some packages are protected.

HISTORY

pkgutil is Apple's command-line interface for the macOS Installer package system, managing .pkg installations.