tlmgr-remove
Remove TeX Live packages
TLDR
Uninstall a TeX Live package
Simulate uninstalling a package without making any changes
Uninstall a package without its dependencies
Uninstall a package and back it up to a specific directory
Uninstall all of TeX Live, asking for confirmation
SYNOPSIS
tlmgr remove [option...] pkg...
PARAMETERS
--all
Remove all packages. This is dangerous and should be used with caution.
--file file
Read the list of packages to remove from the specified file, one package name per line.
--force
Force the removal, ignoring dependency checks.
--dry-run
Simulate the removal process without actually making any changes.
--repository url
Specify the repository to be used for the removal operation.
pkg...
One or more package names to remove.
DESCRIPTION
The tlmgr remove command removes packages or collections from a TeX Live installation. It ensures dependencies are handled correctly, and that the TeX Live package database is updated to reflect the changes. Removing a package may cause other packages that depend on it to become non-functional.
tlmgr intelligently resolves dependencies and warns if a package to be removed is a dependency of other installed packages. You can use the --force option to override this and remove the package regardless of dependencies, but this can lead to problems with your TeX Live installation. Use the command tlmgr info to check package description.
CAVEATS
Forcibly removing packages can break your TeX Live installation. Only use the --force option if you understand the implications. After removing packages, running tlmgr update --all might be useful to resolve any potential issues or inconsistencies.
CONFIGURATION FILE
tlmgr uses a configuration file (typically `texmf-dist/tex/generic/tlmgr/tlmgrgui.cnf`) to store settings such as the default repository. This file might need to be adjusted if you are experiencing problems with network access or authentication.
PACKAGE COLLECTIONS
TeX Live uses the concept of collections, which are groups of related packages. Removing a collection effectively removes all the packages within that collection. However, if a package within the collection is also a dependency of another package outside the collection, it will not be removed unless the --force option is used.