Control Debian Package State with apt-mark

Note#201

notes
Published

2026-03-10

Modified

2026-03-18

apt-mark controls two independent flags on installed packages.

Manual vs. Auto

APT tracks whether each installed package was explicitly requested (manual) or pulled in as a dependency (auto). Packages marked auto get removed by apt autoremove when nothing depends on them anymore.

# Mark a package as manually installed (protect it from autoremove)
apt-mark manual <package>

# Mark a package as automatically installed (eligible for autoremove)
apt-mark auto <package>

# Check the status of a package
apt-mark showmanual | grep <package>
apt-mark showauto | grep <package>

Hold vs. Unhold

A held package is marked so APT will not automatically install, upgrade, or remove it. Useful to block a known-bad update or defer changes to a critical package until you are ready.

# Prevent a package from being upgraded
apt-mark hold <package>

# Allow upgrades again
apt-mark unhold <package>

# List all held packages
apt-mark showhold

References

  • man apt-mark