Resetting the base environment#

How to restore your base environment from a snapshot when things go wrong.

Auto-detect the best snapshot#

conda self reset

conda-self tries snapshots in this order:

  1. base-protection – the snapshot saved by conda doctor base-protection –fix

  2. installer – the snapshot saved by the installer

  3. current – strip to essentials without a snapshot

Reset to a specific snapshot#

Base-protection snapshot#

Restore to the state captured when you first protected base:

conda self reset --snapshot base-protection

This uses conda-meta/base-protection-state.explicit.txt.

Installer snapshot#

Restore to the original state from the installer (e.g. Miniforge):

conda self reset --snapshot installer

This uses conda-meta/installer-state.explicit.txt. Not all installers provide this file.

Current essentials#

Strip base to only conda, its plugins, and their dependencies, without using any snapshot file:

conda self reset --snapshot current

Dry run#

Preview what a reset would do:

conda self reset --dry-run
conda self reset --snapshot installer --dry-run

After a reset#

After resetting, your base environment contains only essentials. conda info lists what is left in base. You may need to reinstall plugins:

conda self install conda-index

Your default environment (created during base protection) is unaffected by resets.