How to fix E: Could not mark packages as held in APT

The apt-mark hold command only works on packages that are already installed on your system. First, check if the package is installed:

dpkg -l | grep package-name

Or more directly:

apt list --installed | grep package-name

If the package is not installed, you must install it first before you can mark it as held:

sudo apt install package-name

Once the package is installed, try marking it as held again:

sudo apt-mark hold package-name

If packages are in an incomplete or unconfigured state, this can prevent hold operations. Complete the configuration of all packages:

sudo dpkg --configure -a

This command tells dpkg to configure all packages that are waiting to be configured. After running this, attempt to hold the package again:

sudo apt-mark hold package-name

Stale lock files can prevent updates to the package database. Check for and remove them:

sudo rm -f /var/lib/dpkg/lock
sudo rm -f /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend
sudo rm -f /var/cache/apt/archives/lock

After removing the lock files, reconfigure packages and try again:

sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt-mark hold package-name

Be careful when removing lock files - ensure no apt operations are running when you do this.

If apt-mark continues to fail, you can use the lower-level dpkg command to mark a package as held:

echo "package-name hold" | sudo dpkg --set-selections

To verify the package is now held:

dpkg --get-selections | grep package-name

The output should show the package with "hold" status. This method works directly with dpkg and sometimes succeeds when apt-mark fails.

Sometimes the issue stems from apt having stale or incomplete package information. Update the package lists:

sudo apt update

You can also clear the apt cache to force a fresh sync:

sudo apt clean
sudo apt autoclean

After cleaning, run apt update again and attempt to hold the package:

sudo apt update
sudo apt-mark hold package-name

The dpkg status database can become corrupted. You can check and potentially repair it by:

sudo apt install aptitude
sudo aptitude install package-name

Aptitude has a more robust dependency resolver that can sometimes work around minor database inconsistencies. Alternatively, if you have a backup of the dpkg status file, you can restore it:

sudo cp /var/lib/dpkg/status /var/lib/dpkg/status.bak

If the dpkg database is severely corrupted, consult system recovery procedures or consider using dpkg repair tools.

As a last resort, you can remove and reinstall the package, which should resolve any state issues:

sudo apt remove package-name
sudo apt install package-name
sudo apt-mark hold package-name

The remove operation cleans up any corrupted state, and reinstalling gives the package a fresh installation state that can be properly held. After successful installation, the hold operation should work.