Learn how to uninstall Arduino libraries, whether through the Library Manager for individual removals or by using your file manager for bulk deletions across all IDE versions.
In this article:
Uninstall libraries using the Library Manager
The Library Manager in Arduino IDE 2 can be used to uninstall individual libraries:
-
Click the
Library Manager button in the sidebar, or select Tools > Manage Libraries… in the menu bar.
-
Filter your search:
- For the Type option, select Installed to show only installed libraries
- To further filter the results, type the library name into the text field.
-
Find the library in the search results. Note that the results are listed alphabetically.
-
Click the Remove button.
-
Confirm that you want to uninstall the library by clicking Yes.
Note
If a newer version of the library is available, the Remove button will be replaced by an Update button. To remove the library in this case, click the three dots in the top-right corner and select Remove.
Remove libraries manually using the file manager
This method allows you to remove many libraries at once. It works for all types of libraries and versions of Arduino IDE.
Library Manager, “Add .ZIP Library”, and manual installs
Most libraries are located in the Sketchbook library folder, including:
- Libraries installed with the Library Manager
- Libraries imported with Sketch > Include library > Add .ZIP library…
- Any other libraries manually moved into the folder
Follow these steps to remove these libraries.
- Open the Sketchbook.
- Go into the
libraries
subfolder. - Delete the folder for libraries you want to uninstall.
- Restart Arduino IDE.
Libraries bundled with board platforms
Some board platforms are packaged with libraries, that are saved within the Arduino15 folder, inside the Arduino15/packages/<vendor>/hardware/<board platform>/<version>/libraries
subfolder.
They are written specifically for the boards of that platform and are only accessible when one of those boards is selected in the Tools > Board menu. They will be removed when uninstalling the board platform. Removing them is not recommended. If doing so, included examples may stop functioning. The libraries will be reinstalled if the package is updated by the Board Manager.