How can I uninstall npm modules in Node.js?

As commonly known, any npm module can be installed by running a simple command: `npm install <module_name>`.

I have installed a few modules that I do not use any more and I just want to get them off. I have a few questions regarding this:

- Do we have any command or process to uninstall a module from the root (something like `npm uninstall <module_name>`)
or will simply removing the module files do?

- How does it affect us if we keep the unused modules?

I just install *stylus* by default under my home dir, so I just use `npm uninstall stylus` to detach it, or you can try `npm rm <package_name>` out.

If it doesn't work with `npm uninstall <module_name>` try it globally by typing `-g`.

Maybe you just need to do it as an superUser/administrator with `sudo npm uninstall <module_name>`.

Additionally, if you've started using `yarn`, in place of `npm`:
`yarn remove <package-name>`

Is the equivalent of:
`npm uninstall <package-name> --save`

This will
- remove the package from `package.json`, as well as
- uninstall it from your project's `node-modules` folder

To uninstall a module using npm, you can use:
```
npm uninstall moduleName
```
Also, if you want to uninstall and want the change to be reflected in your package.json then you can use the --save flag, like this:
```
npm uninstall moduleName --save
OR
npm uninstall -S
```
And if you want to uninstall a module from devDependencies and want the change to be reflected in package.json then you can use -D flag, like this:
```
npm uninstall moduleName -D
```

You can also run the following as shorthand:

`npm un packageName` or `npm rm packageName`

Note: Add `-g` at end of command to uninstall global packages.

The command is simply `npm uninstall <name>`

The Node.js documents

[To see links please register here]

have all the commands that you need to know with npm.

A local install will be in the `node_modules/` directory of your application. This won't affect the application if a module remains there with no references to it.

If you're removing a global package, however, any applications referencing it will crash.

Here are different options:

`npm uninstall <name>` removes the module from `node_modules` but does not update `package.json`

`npm uninstall <name> --save` also removes it from `dependencies`in `package.json`

`npm uninstall <name> --save-dev` also removes it from `devDependencies` in `package.json`

`npm uninstall -g <name> --save` also removes it globally

Well, to give a complete answer to this question, there are [two methods][1] (for example we call the installed module as module1):

1. To remove module1 **without** changing package.json:

`npm uninstall module1`

2. To remove module1 **with** changing package.json, and removing it from the dependencies in package.json:

`npm uninstall --save module1`

Note: to simplify the above mentioned commands, you can use **-S** instead of **--save** , and can use **remove**, **rm**, **r**, **un**, **unlink** instead of **uninstall**

[1]:

[To see links please register here]

I found this out the hard way, even if it is _seemingly_ obvious.

I initially tried to loop through the *node_modules* directory running `npm uninstall module-name` with a simple for loop in a script. I found out it will not work if you call the full path, e.g.,

npm uninstall module-name

was working, but

npm uninstall /full/path/to/node_modules/module-name

was not working.

To uninstall the Node.js module:

npm uninstall <module_name>

This will remove the module from folder *node_modules*, but not from file *package.json*. So when we do npm install again it will download the module.

So to remove the module from file *package.json*, use:

npm uninstall <module_name> --save

This also deletes the dependency from file *package.json*.

And if you want to uninstall any globally module you can use:

npm -g uninstall <module_name> --save

This will delete the dependency globally.