How to Use the rpm Command to Install, Query, Verify and Remove Packages

Updated: 28 September 2026 · Applies to: RPM 4.16 to 6.0 on AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux 9 and 10, RHEL 9 and 10, Fedora 44

rpm is the low-level package tool of the Red Hat family. It installs, queries, verifies and removes .rpm files, but it does not download anything or resolve dependencies. For everyday installs, use dnf, which calls rpm for you. rpm is most useful for questions such as "which package owns this file?" or "has this file been changed?".

Install and remove

1. For a downloaded package, let dnf resolve its dependencies:

   dnf install ./package.rpm

2. With rpm alone (fails if a dependency is missing):

   rpm -ivh package.rpm     # install
   rpm -Uvh package.rpm     # upgrade, or install if not present
   rpm -Fvh package.rpm     # upgrade only if an older version is installed
   rpm -e package           # remove (use the package name, not the file name)

   -v shows the file name and -h a progress bar.
3. To fetch a package file from the repositories without installing it: dnf download tree

Look inside a package file before installing

rpm -qpi package.rpm     # description, version, vendor
rpm -qpl package.rpm     # files it will install
rpm -qpR package.rpm     # what it needs
rpm -K package.rpm       # check its digests and signature

rpm -K should end with "digests signatures OK". If it reports a missing key, import the vendor's key only from a source you trust, for example rpm --import https://vendor.example/RPM-GPG-KEY.

Query installed packages

rpm -qa                  # all installed packages
rpm -q openssh-server    # is it installed, and which version?
rpm -qi openssh-server   # details
rpm -ql openssh-server   # its files
rpm -qc openssh-server   # its configuration files
rpm -qd openssh-server   # its documentation
rpm -qf /usr/bin/tree    # which package owns this file?
rpm -q --changelog openssh-server | head

rpm -qf only knows files that are installed. For a file you do not have yet, ask the repositories instead: dnf provides '*/bin/dig'.

Verify files

rpm -V openssh-server    # one package
rpm -Va                  # every package (takes a while)

No output means nothing changed. Otherwise each line shows a code and the file, for example S.5....T. /usr/bin/tree: S size, 5 checksum, T modification time, M permissions, U and G owner and group. A c before the file name marks a configuration file, which you may have changed on purpose. Changed programs under /usr/bin or /usr/sbin deserve a closer look.

Common problems

• "Failed dependencies": install with dnf install ./package.rpm instead, which fetches what is missing.
• "package is already installed": use rpm -Uvh to upgrade, or dnf reinstall package to reinstall the same version.
• "error: rpmdb open failed" or a hanging rpm: see our guide on recovering a corrupt RPM database.

Official documentation: RPM documentation.