$ Linux Command

Packages

dpkg-reconfigure

Reconfigure an already-installed Debian package.

debianpackageconfigurationdebconfreconfigure

Additional Notes

dpkg-reconfigure runs the post-installation configuration for an installed Debian package again. It presents the package's debconf questions so you can change settings that were specified during the initial install.

This is useful when you need to modify a package's configuration interactively without reinstalling it. Common examples include changing the timezone, reconfiguring the keyboard layout, setting the mail transport agent type, or adjusting package database passwords. The debconf database stores the answers, and dpkg-reconfigure re-presents the prompts at whatever priority level you specify.

Syntax

dpkg-reconfigure [options] package...

Parameters

  • package: One or more installed package names to reconfigure.

Common Options

  • -f, --frontend frontend: Specify the debconf frontend (readline, gnome, noninteractive, etc.).
  • -p, --priority priority: Set the minimum question priority to display (low, medium, high, critical). Use low to see all questions.
  • -a, --all: Reconfigure all installed packages.
  • -u, --unseen-only: Ask only questions that have not been seen before.
  • --terse: Enable terse output mode.

Examples

sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

Reconfigure the system timezone interactively.

sudo dpkg-reconfigure -p low locales

Reconfigure locale settings and see all available options.

sudo dpkg-reconfigure -f noninteractive keyboard-configuration

Reconfigure the keyboard layout using noninteractive mode (useful in scripts with preseeding).

sudo dpkg-reconfigure -a

Reconfigure every installed package that has pending debconf questions.

Practical Notes

  • dpkg-reconfigure only works with packages that use debconf for configuration. Not all packages use debconf.
  • Use -p low to see all questions, including those marked with low priority.
  • To see the current debconf values before reconfiguring, use debconf-get-selections | grep ^package.
  • The noninteractive frontend is useful in scripts, but the questions must be pre-answered in the debconf database.
  • Some packages have configuration scripts (config and postinst in DEBIAN/) that control what debconf questions appear.