5 Ways to Remove Installed Packages on Ubuntu

If you wish to uninstall a package or app on Ubuntu, use one of these five methods, depending on how you installed the package in the first place.

Linux packages let you add new software or functionality to your system. After installing a package, there'd be a time when you might not want it anymore or would like to remove some dependencies or bloat from your Ubuntu system.

Whatever the case, if you are looking for a way to get rid of an application, remove some extra packages, or clean up your machine, you can use one of these methods to do your bidding. Here are a few easy ways to remove packages on Ubuntu:

When you want to delete a specific package from your machine, the easiest way is to navigate to Ubuntu Software and uninstall it.

To do so, open Ubuntu Software from the favorites dock. You can even search for it in the applications menu if it is unavailable in your favorites.

Next, navigate to the Installed tab at the top. This tab contains a list of all the installed applications.

To uninstall a specific application, scroll and look for the application in question. For example, if you want to remove Spotify, find the installed application and click the Uninstall button.

Follow the on-screen instructions to remove the application and its installed dependencies.

The APT command works differently, as you use it within the terminal. To uninstall an application with APT, use the following command syntax:

To list installed packages in Ubuntu with APT, you can run the following command:

if you have installed VLC on your system and want to uninstall it, use the following command:

Once the process completes, VLC will be uninstalled from your Ubuntu machine. It's always best to update Ubuntu with the apt-get update command after removing an application.

If you have installed applications from the Snap Store, you must use the snap command to remove them from your Ubuntu machine.

Here's the command to remove Snap packages on Ubuntu:

To list all the available Snap applications installed on your Ubuntu desktop, use the list function as follows:

Since Spotify is a Snap application, to uninstall it, you can use the command below:

Once the process completes, you will receive a confirmation on your screen.

During the installation process, your package manager might install some additional dependencies for the primary package. After you uninstall the main package, these dependencies act as bloatware and are not essential for your system's maintenance.

To ensure you do away with these unwanted packages, use the autoremove command:

When prompted for a Y/N response, enter Y to proceed with the removal process. Once the command executes, all the unnecessary packages will be removed from your Ubuntu machine.

APT and dpkg differ from each other, and you can't use the two commands interchangeably. For listing installing packages using dpkg, run:

Use the exact package name to remove the package without errors. To uninstall the package, use the following format:

For example, if you don't use Vim anymore and want to remove it, use the following command:

Linux distros, including Ubuntu, let you easily remove extra packages and applications from your system. There are quite a few methods you can employ to uninstall applications installed on your Ubuntu PC.

While a majority of Linux OSes work similarly, many others, like Arch Linux, have different package management commands, which might not work on an Ubuntu machine. Depending on the Linux distro you're using, you must use OS-centric methods to install/uninstall applications.

Sahil has two years of technical writing experience. His love for technology made his foray into this field, and ever since, he has not looked back. On the personal side, he loves to travel, explore new places, and go on adventures with his two dogs.