Debian / Ubuntu: apt-get force reinstall package

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apt-get force reinstall package

I am a new Debian Linux / Ubuntu Linux LTS user. How do I reinstall a package using apt-get command line? Is there an ‘apt-get force reinstall package’ command?The Advanced Packaging Tool (APT) works on both Debian / Ubuntu Linux. It can handle the installation and removal of software including reinstalling packages to fix problems. You need use apt-get command as follows to forcefully reinstall package. This page shows to reinstall packages on an Ubuntu and Debian server or cloud based virtual machine.

The syntax is:



Tutorial details Difficulty Easy (rss) Root privileges Yes Requirements None Time 2m

apt-get --reinstall install PackageNameHere

apt-get --reinstall install Package1 Package2

--reinstall

Theoption re-install packages that are already installed and at the newest version.

Pro tip: Backup all configuration files before reinstalling packages. For example, if you are reinstalling nginx web server package, backup /etc/nginx/ directory with the help of cp command as follows:

mkdir /root/nginx.mmddyyyy/ && cp -avr /etc/nginx/* /root/nginx.mmddyyy/

How to reinstall a package using apt-get

Let us see some example that shows how to reinstall package and its installed dependencies on a Debian or Ubuntu Linux. The following command will reinstall rsync package. Open a terminal application and then type:

$ sudo apt-get --reinstall install rsync

OR

# apt-get --reinstall install rsync

Sample outputs:



--purge

sudo apt-get --purge remove package1 sudo apt-get install package1 sudo apt-get --purge remove package1 sudo apt-get install package1

Debian or Ubuntu reinstall package command

If above method failed for you, try the following syntax. Make sure you backup config file before typing the following commands. Please note that theoption is identical to remove except that packages are removed and purged including any configuration files are deleted too.

Type the following apt command or apt-get command to reinstall htop:

sudo apt --reinstall install htop

OR

sudo apt-get --reinstall install htop



The apt-get is the command-line tool for handling packages. The apt command provides a high-level command-line interface for the package management system. It is intended as an end user interface. Both, apt command and apt-get accepts the --reinstall option for reinstalling packages to fix problems.

apt-get reinstall package and dependencies

One can use aptitude command too. The syntax is:

sudo aptitude reinstall pkg

sudo aptitude reinstall nginx

What if I want to reinstall ALL packages …

You need to use the aptitude command as follows:

sudo aptitude reinstall '~i'

Conclusion

You learned how to use the apt-get to force reinstall package on a Debian and Ubuntu Linux. For more information please apt-get man pager here:

See man pages for more info – cp(1)