Do I need to uninstall Python package before upgrading to newer version?

Question

I'm running Python on Windows and usually install packages using pre-built binaries. When I upgrade packages (ex. from matplotlib-1.0.0 to matplotlib-1.1.1) do I need to uninstall the earlier version first?

I did a test upgrading matplotlib without uninstalling the previous version and everything seems to be okay. matplotlib.__version__ shows '1.1.1'. So did distutils just overwrite files, potentially leaving old files cluttering my site-packages folder? Or did the installer look for previous installations, remove those first, and then install the new version?

Answer 1

如果你正在使用pip ，你可以做pip install package --upgrade ，但你会发现它基本上与uninstall相同，然后是全新安装。

Answer 2

you have to uninstall it:

pip uninstall matplotlib

This will clutter your site package or worse

Answer 3

Yes, you need a clean install. I've shot my leg when upgrading from matplotlib 1.2.1 to 1.3.1 w/o removing first the old package.