Uninstalling Sitecore packages


Description

Sitecore CMS does not currently provide an automated way for removing packages installed using the Installation Wizard application. You can only remove packages manually.

Solution

The installed packages can be removed manually in the following way:

  1. Extract the installation package to a folder on the file system. A Sitecore package is a standard ZIP archive.
    Note:
    Usually Sitecore packages contain a package.ZIP file in the original package. This file should also be extracted.
  2. Find the folders called /files and /items in the target location you used when extracting the package.
  3. In the /files folder, you can find the files that get installed with the package. 
  4. Match the file paths from the /files folder with the same files in your Sitecore solution and delete or replace them with the original version.
    Note:
    If the file was overwritten, its old version can be found at the following location:
    /temp/installation_history/{GUID}/
    For example: 
    In the extracted package, you have the \SitecoreSomeModule\package\files\bin\Sitecore.SomeModule.dll file.
    In the Sitecore solution, navigate to the \Website\bin folder and remove the Sitecore.SomeModule.dll file.
  5. In the /items folder, you can find the items that are installed with the package. 
  6. Match file paths from the /items folder with the same items in your Sitecore solution and update them.
    Note:
    Sitecore does not keep original versions of items when overwriting them.
    For example:
    • In the extracted package, you have the \SitecoreSomeModule\package\items\master\sitecore\system\Modules\SitecoreSomeModule\{D81AC026-07B6-4929-9588-40ACBDC56435}\en\1\xml file 
    • The \sitecore\system\Modules\SitecoreSomeModule is an item’s path in the Sitecore content tree.
    • The {D81AC026-07B6-4929-9588-40ACBDC56435} folder is an item’s GUID.
    • The en folder is the item’s language.
    • The 1 folder is the item’s version.
    • The XML file contains an item’s values in the XML format.
    • In the Sitecore content tree, switch to the Master database and navigate to the /sitecore/system/Modules/SitecoreSomeModule item. The GUID of the SitecoreSomeModule item is {D81AC026-07B6-4929-9588-40ACBDC56435}.