How to Uninstall Claude Code

Completely remove Claude Code from your system when you no longer need it or want to perform a clean reinstall. The process is straightforward and removes all traces of the installation.

Basic Uninstall

Remove Claude Code globally

npm uninstall -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

This removes the Claude Code package from your system's global npm packages.

Clean Up Configuration

Remove configuration files (optional if you might reinstall)

# Remove main configuration file
rm ~/.claude.json

# Remove Claude Code directory and all settings
rm -rf ~/.claude/

Permanent Deletion

These rm commands permanently delete files - there's no recycle bin or undo. If you might reinstall Claude Code later, consider backing up your configuration files first.

These commands remove:

• Main config: ~/.claude.json with API keys and project settings
• Settings directory: ~/.claude/ containing MCP configurations, local settings, and cached data

For safer removal with confirmation prompts:

rm -i ~/.claude.json
rm -ri ~/.claude/

Verify Removal

Check that Claude Code is gone

claude --version

This should return "command not found" or similar error, confirming successful removal.