held broken packages 🐧 Linux

Unmet dependencies / E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages

apt can’t find a set of package versions that satisfies all dependencies — usually mixed repositories or a package from another release.

Seen on: Linux

Meaning

Installing .deb files or PPAs built for another release, pinned/held packages, or half-finished upgrades leave dependencies that can’t be met. The “Depends:” lines above say which package/version is the problem.

Common causes

  • Packages from another distro release or PPA
  • Held/pinned packages blocking upgrades
  • Partial upgrade
  • Mixed versions (e.g. libc6/libssl from another repo)

⚡ Quick fix

  1. Read the Depends: lines
  2. sudo apt -f install and sudo apt full-upgrade
  3. Remove the conflicting PPA/.deb or hold

Detailed fix by platform

Ubuntu

  1. bash
    apt-mark showhold
sudo apt-get -f install
sudo apt full-upgrade
apt-cache policy <package>

How to diagnose

  1. Conflict — Which dependency/version?
  2. Sources — PPAs from other releases?
  3. Holds — apt-mark showhold

🔧 Still not fixed?

Many errors look alike. If the steps above didn’t solve it, one of these is probably what you’re facing:

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