Unable to uninstall older version of "matplotlib" using conda

Question

Disclaimer: I am not techie / Python developer but trying to learn it & leverage for EDA in Jupyter notebook for ML problems

Team - Find the extract of the conda uninstall error message though it displays multiple matplotlib version installed. Either I run into package not available (if I uninstall the latest version 3.3.2) or post installation I am unable to use it Jupyter notebook.

C:\WINDOWS\system32>conda search matplotlib

Loading channels: done
# Name                       Version           Build  Channel
matplotlib                     1.1.1      np16py27_2  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.2.0      np16py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.2.0      np16py27_1  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.2.0      np17py27_1  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.2.1      np17py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.2.1      np17py27_1  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.3.0      np17py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.3.1      np17py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.3.1      np17py27_1  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.3.1      np18py27_1  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.3.1      np18py27_2  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.4.0      np18py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.4.0      np19py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.4.1      np19py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.4.2      np19py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.4.3     np110py27_1  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.4.3     np110py27_2  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.4.3     np110py27_3  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.4.3      np19py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.4.3      np19py27_1  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.4.3      np19py27_3  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.5.0     np110py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.5.1     np110py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.5.1     np111py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.5.3     np111py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.5.3     np111py27_1  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     1.5.3     np111py36_1  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.0     np111py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.0     np111py36_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.0     np112py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.0     np112py36_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.1     np111py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.1     np111py36_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.1     np112py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.1     np112py36_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.2     np111py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.2     np111py36_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.2     np112py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.2     np112py36_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.2     np113py27_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.2     np113py36_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.2  py27hd2e917d_1  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.0.2  py36h58ba717_1  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.1.0  py27h86412ea_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.1.0  py36h11b4b9c_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.1.1  py27h3be7b3c_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.1.1  py36h2062329_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.1.2  py27ha51faf0_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.1.2  py36h016c42a_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.2.0  py27hf8772e1_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.2.0  py36h4dabdea_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.2.2  py27h8803d4e_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.2.2  py27h8803d4e_1  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.2.2  py36h153e9ff_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     2.2.2  py36h153e9ff_1  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     3.0.3          py36_0  repository/conda_gold_group
matplotlib                     3.3.2  py36h9f0ad1d_1  repository/conda_gold_group

C:\WINDOWS\system32>conda uninstall matplotlib
Collecting package metadata: done
Solving environment: failed

PackagesNotFoundError: The following packages are missing from the target environment:
  - matplotlib

Answer 1

though it displays multiple matplotlib version installed

You are mistaken in what conda search does. It only shows you all the versions that you can install, i.e. which versions are available from the configured channels for your OS, it is somewhat equivalent to using the search function on anaconda.org .

The command you are thinking of is conda list (docs), which shows you a list of packages that are installed currently.

So you probably have no matplotlib installed currently, since your uninstall command yields

PackagesNotFoundError: The following packages are missing from the target environment:
  - matplotlib

Now you can simply install a version that you need, i.e. for 2.12, simply do

conda install matplotlib=2.12

or any other version that you might need

Answer 2

open your cmd and use command conda remove package_name --yes
or if you are not into the environement use conda remove -n Environment package_name --yes

sources:
https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/tasks/manage-pkgs.html#removing-packages https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/commands/remove.html