singular-particular-space/DumperCan/linux-uninstallation-guide.md

Linux Uninstallation & System Cleanup Guide

A comprehensive guide to removing software installed via different methods

Created for Linux Mint 22.2 / Ubuntu-based systems

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Table of Contents

1. Quick Reference Table
2. Method 1: APT/DPKG Packages
3. Method 2: Flatpak Applications
4. Method 3: Snap Packages
5. Method 4: AppImages
6. Method 5: Tarball Extracts (tar.gz/tar.xz)
7. Method 6: Git Clones & Source Builds
8. Method 7: Manual Installs & Third-Party Scripts
9. Case Study: Removing Zen Browser
10. System Cleanup & Maintenance
11. Nuclear Options

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Quick Reference Table

Installation Method	How to Identify	How to Remove	Difficulty
APT Package	dpkg -l | grep name	sudo apt remove name	⭐ Easy
Flatpak	flatpak list	flatpak uninstall name	⭐ Easy
Snap	snap list	sudo snap remove name	⭐ Easy
AppImage	File in ~/Applications or ~/Downloads	Delete file + desktop entry	⭐⭐ Medium
Tarball Extract	Usually in /opt or ~/local	Delete folder + desktop entry	⭐⭐ Medium
Source Build	Check install logs or make uninstall	sudo make uninstall or manual	⭐⭐⭐ Hard
Script Install	Check ~/.local or /opt	Follow uninstall script or manual	⭐⭐⭐ Hard

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Method 1: APT/DPKG Packages

When you installed with: sudo apt install package-name

Check if installed

# Search for package
dpkg -l | grep package-name

# Get package info
apt show package-name

# List files installed by package
dpkg -L package-name

Uninstall

# Remove package but keep config files
sudo apt remove package-name

# Remove package AND config files (recommended)
sudo apt purge package-name

# Remove with dependencies
sudo apt autoremove --purge package-name

# Clean up after removal
sudo apt autoremove
sudo apt autoclean

Verify removal

dpkg -l | grep package-name
# Should return nothing

Common locations to check

• Binaries: /usr/bin/, /usr/local/bin/
• Libraries: /usr/lib/, /usr/local/lib/
• Config: /etc/package-name/
• User data: ~/.config/package-name/, ~/.local/share/package-name/

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Method 2: Flatpak Applications

When you installed with: flatpak install app-name

List all Flatpaks

flatpak list

Uninstall

# Remove application
flatpak uninstall app.name.AppName

# Remove and delete user data
flatpak uninstall --delete-data app.name.AppName

# Remove unused runtimes/dependencies
flatpak uninstall --unused

# Full cleanup
flatpak repair

Verify removal

flatpak list | grep app-name

Manual data cleanup

# User data location
rm -rf ~/.var/app/app.name.AppName/

# Check Flatpak cache
du -sh ~/.local/share/flatpak/

Pro tip: Flatpak apps store data in ~/.var/app/ - each app gets its own sandbox folder.

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Method 3: Snap Packages

When you installed with: sudo snap install package-name

List all Snaps

snap list

Uninstall

# Remove snap
sudo snap remove package-name

# Remove snap and all revisions
sudo snap remove --purge package-name

# Disable snapd entirely (if you hate Snap)
sudo systemctl disable snapd.service
sudo systemctl disable snapd.socket
sudo apt purge snapd

Verify removal

snap list | grep package-name

Manual cleanup

# Snap data locations
rm -rf ~/snap/package-name/

# System snap folder
sudo rm -rf /var/snap/package-name/

Note: Snaps auto-update and keep old revisions. Always use --purge to fully clean up.

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Method 4: AppImages

When you downloaded: Application-x86_64.AppImage

Characteristics

• Single executable file
• Usually in ~/Downloads/, ~/Applications/, or ~/.local/bin/
• May have created desktop entry
• May have created config in ~/.config/

Uninstall process

Step 1: Find the AppImage

# Search common locations
find ~ -name "*.AppImage" 2>/dev/null

# List recently modified AppImages
find ~ -name "*.AppImage" -mtime -30 2>/dev/null

Step 2: Remove the file

rm ~/path/to/Application.AppImage

Step 3: Remove desktop entry

# Check for desktop file
ls ~/.local/share/applications/ | grep -i application

# Remove it
rm ~/.local/share/applications/application-name.desktop

Step 4: Remove config/data

# Check common locations
ls ~/.config/ | grep -i application
ls ~/.local/share/ | grep -i application

# Remove folders
rm -rf ~/.config/application-name/
rm -rf ~/.local/share/application-name/

Step 5: Update desktop database

update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications/

Example: Removing Logseq AppImage

# 1. Find and remove AppImage
rm ~/Downloads/Logseq-linux-x64-*.AppImage

# 2. Remove desktop entry
rm ~/.local/share/applications/logseq.desktop

# 3. Remove data
rm -rf ~/.config/Logseq/
rm -rf ~/.local/share/Logseq/

# 4. Update database
update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications/

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Method 5: Tarball Extracts

When you extracted: tar -xzf package.tar.gz and moved to /opt/ or ~/local/

Common install locations

• /opt/package-name/
• ~/.local/package-name/
• /usr/local/package-name/

Uninstall process

Step 1: Find installation directory

# Check /opt
ls /opt/ | grep -i package

# Check ~/.local
ls ~/.local/ | grep -i package

# Find executable location
which package-name

Step 2: Remove directory

# If in /opt (requires sudo)
sudo rm -rf /opt/package-name/

# If in ~/.local
rm -rf ~/.local/package-name/

Step 3: Remove symlinks/shortcuts

# Check for symlinks in PATH
ls -la /usr/local/bin/ | grep package-name
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/package-name

# Or in ~/.local/bin
ls -la ~/.local/bin/ | grep package-name
rm ~/.local/bin/package-name

Step 4: Remove desktop entry

# System-wide
sudo rm /usr/share/applications/package-name.desktop

# User-specific
rm ~/.local/share/applications/package-name.desktop

Step 5: Clean up config

rm -rf ~/.config/package-name/
rm -rf ~/.local/share/package-name/

Example: Removing VSCodium tarball

# 1. Remove installation
sudo rm -rf /opt/vscodium/

# 2. Remove symlink
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/codium

# 3. Remove desktop entry
sudo rm /usr/share/applications/codium.desktop

# 4. Remove user config
rm -rf ~/.config/VSCodium/

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Method 6: Git Clones & Source Builds

When you did:

git clone https://github.com/user/repo
cd repo
make
sudo make install

The Challenge

Source builds scatter files across system directories. No package manager tracks them.

Uninstall strategies

Strategy 1: Use make uninstall (if available)

cd /path/to/source/directory
sudo make uninstall

Problem: Not all projects include uninstall target.

Strategy 2: Check install logs

# Run install again, save output
sudo make install > install.log 2>&1

# Review what was installed
cat install.log

# Remove files manually based on log

Strategy 3: Use checkinstall (retroactive tracking)

For future installs, use checkinstall instead of make install:

sudo apt install checkinstall

# Instead of: sudo make install
sudo checkinstall

# This creates a .deb package you can uninstall later
sudo dpkg -r package-name

Strategy 4: Manual removal (last resort)

Common install locations for source builds:

# Binaries
/usr/local/bin/
/usr/bin/

# Libraries
/usr/local/lib/
/usr/lib/

# Headers
/usr/local/include/
/usr/include/

# Man pages
/usr/local/share/man/
/usr/share/man/

# Data files
/usr/local/share/package-name/
/usr/share/package-name/

Removal process:

# 1. Find binary
which program-name
sudo rm $(which program-name)

# 2. Search for related files
find /usr/local -name "*program*" 2>/dev/null
find /usr -name "*program*" 2>/dev/null

# 3. Remove carefully
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/lib/program-name/
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/share/program-name/

Example: Removing a Git clone + build

# Example: Removing a program built from source

# 1. Try make uninstall first
cd ~/repos/program-name/
sudo make uninstall

# 2. If that fails, find files manually
sudo find /usr/local -name "*program*" -ls

# 3. Remove them
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/program-name
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/share/program-name/

# 4. Remove git clone
rm -rf ~/repos/program-name/

# 5. Update man pages database
sudo mandb

# 6. Update shared library cache
sudo ldconfig

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Method 7: Manual Installs & Third-Party Scripts

When you ran: curl -sSL https://install.script | bash

The Nuclear Problem

Install scripts can put files anywhere. You need to be a detective.

Investigation process

Step 1: Check what the script does

# Re-download and READ the script (don't run)
curl -sSL https://install.script > script.sh
cat script.sh | less

# Look for:
# - Where files are copied
# - What directories are created
# - Symlinks created
# - Services installed

Step 2: Check common locations

User-specific:

~/.local/bin/
~/.local/share/
~/.config/

System-wide:

/opt/
/usr/local/bin/
/usr/local/lib/
/usr/local/share/
/etc/

Services:

/etc/systemd/system/
~/.config/systemd/user/

Step 3: Check running processes

# See what's running
ps aux | grep program-name

# Check systemd services
systemctl list-units --type=service | grep program-name
systemctl --user list-units --type=service | grep program-name

Step 4: Removal checklist

# Stop services
sudo systemctl stop program-name.service
sudo systemctl disable program-name.service
systemctl --user stop program-name.service

# Remove service files
sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/program-name.service
rm ~/.config/systemd/user/program-name.service

# Reload systemd
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

# Remove binaries
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/program-name

# Remove data
sudo rm -rf /opt/program-name/
rm -rf ~/.local/share/program-name/
rm -rf ~/.config/program-name/

# Remove logs
sudo rm -rf /var/log/program-name/

Example: Removing PyEnv (curl installer)

# PyEnv installs to ~/.pyenv

# 1. Remove installation
rm -rf ~/.pyenv/

# 2. Remove from shell config
nano ~/.bashrc
# Delete these lines:
# export PYENV_ROOT="$HOME/.pyenv"
# export PATH="$PYENV_ROOT/bin:$PATH"
# eval "$(pyenv init -)"

# 3. Reload shell
source ~/.bashrc

# 4. Verify
which pyenv
# Should return nothing

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Case Study: Removing Zen Browser

Zen Browser can be installed via Flatpak OR tarball - you need to identify which.

Step 1: Identify installation method

# Check if Flatpak
flatpak list | grep -i zen

# Check if tarball (common locations)
ls /opt/ | grep -i zen
ls ~/.local/ | grep -i zen

# Check running process
ps aux | grep zen

# Find executable
which zen-browser

Step 2A: If Flatpak

# Get exact app ID
flatpak list | grep -i zen

# Uninstall
flatpak uninstall io.github.zen-browser.zen

# Remove data
rm -rf ~/.var/app/io.github.zen-browser.zen/

# Clean up
flatpak uninstall --unused

Step 2B: If Tarball

# Find installation directory
find ~ /opt -name "*zen*" -type d 2>/dev/null

# Example locations:
# /opt/zen-browser/
# ~/.local/zen-browser/

# Remove installation
sudo rm -rf /opt/zen-browser/
# OR
rm -rf ~/.local/zen-browser/

# Remove symlinks
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/zen-browser
rm ~/.local/bin/zen-browser

# Remove desktop entry
rm ~/.local/share/applications/zen-browser.desktop
sudo rm /usr/share/applications/zen-browser.desktop

# Remove config/data
rm -rf ~/.zen/
rm -rf ~/.config/zen/
rm -rf ~/.local/share/zen/
rm -rf ~/.cache/zen/

# Update desktop database
update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications/

Step 3: Remove Zen-specific artifacts

# Remove MIME associations
xdg-mime query default x-scheme-handler/http
# If it shows zen, change it:
xdg-mime default microsoft-edge.desktop x-scheme-handler/http
xdg-mime default microsoft-edge.desktop x-scheme-handler/https

# Remove from mimeapps.list
nano ~/.config/mimeapps.list
# Delete any lines with "Zen" in them

# Clear recent files that might reference Zen
rm ~/.local/share/recently-used.xbel

Step 4: Verify complete removal

# Check for any remaining files
find ~ -iname "*zen*" 2>/dev/null | grep -v ".cache"

# Check for running processes
ps aux | grep zen

# Check default browser
xdg-settings get default-web-browser

# Test opening a link
xdg-open https://google.com

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System Cleanup & Maintenance

After uninstalling multiple apps

Clean package manager caches

# APT cleanup
sudo apt autoremove
sudo apt autoclean
sudo apt clean

# Flatpak cleanup
flatpak uninstall --unused
flatpak repair

# Snap cleanup (removes old revisions)
sudo snap list --all | awk '/disabled/{print $1, $3}' | while read snapname revision; do
    sudo snap remove "$snapname" --revision="$revision"
done

Find and remove orphaned config files

# List config directories
ls ~/.config/

# Remove configs for uninstalled apps
rm -rf ~/.config/app-that-no-longer-exists/

Clean thumbnail cache

# Can grow to several GB
rm -rf ~/.cache/thumbnails/*

Clean old logs

# User logs
rm -rf ~/.local/share/xorg/*.log.old

# System logs (careful!)
sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=7d

Find large files/directories

# Top 20 largest directories in home
du -h ~ | sort -rh | head -20

# Find files larger than 100MB
find ~ -type f -size +100M -exec ls -lh {} \; 2>/dev/null

Clean browser caches

# Firefox
rm -rf ~/.cache/mozilla/

# Chromium-based
rm -rf ~/.cache/chromium/
rm -rf ~/.cache/microsoft-edge/

Remove old kernels (frees 200-500MB per kernel)

# List installed kernels
dpkg -l | grep linux-image

# Keep current + one previous, remove rest
sudo apt autoremove --purge

Clean Docker (if installed)

# Remove unused containers, images, volumes
docker system prune -a --volumes

# See space usage
docker system df

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Nuclear Options

When you want to start fresh with something

Reset application to defaults

# Remove all config/data for an app
rm -rf ~/.config/application-name/
rm -rf ~/.local/share/application-name/
rm -rf ~/.cache/application-name/

# Reinstall will create fresh config

Clean entire user home directory

# Backup first!
tar -czf ~/backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz ~/.config ~/.local

# Remove all app configs (DANGEROUS)
rm -rf ~/.config/*
rm -rf ~/.local/share/*
rm -rf ~/.cache/*

# Keep these critical configs:
# - ~/.bashrc, ~/.profile
# - ~/.ssh/
# - ~/.gnupg/

System-wide cleanup

# WARNING: This will break things if you don't know what you're doing

# Remove all orphaned packages
sudo apt autoremove --purge

# Remove all cached packages
sudo apt clean

# Remove all snap packages
for snap in $(snap list | awk 'NR>1 {print $1}'); do
    sudo snap remove --purge "$snap"
done

# Remove snapd entirely
sudo apt purge snapd

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Best Practices

Before installing anything

1. Document what you install:

   # Create an install log
   echo "$(date): Installed program-name via method" >> ~/install-log.txt
   

2. Take a Timeshift snapshot before major installations

3. Prefer package managers over manual installs:

   • APT > Flatpak > AppImage > Tarball > Source build

4. Use checkinstall for source builds:

   sudo checkinstall
   # Creates .deb you can track and remove
   

When uninstalling

1. Stop services first:

   sudo systemctl stop service-name
   sudo systemctl disable service-name
   

2. Remove in reverse order of installation:

   • User data first
   • Then binaries
   • Then libraries
   • Finally config files

3. Use --purge whenever possible:

   sudo apt purge package-name  # Not just 'remove'
   

4. Clean up after yourself:

   sudo apt autoremove
   flatpak uninstall --unused
   update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications/
   

Regular maintenance schedule

Weekly:

• sudo apt autoremove
• flatpak uninstall --unused

Monthly:

• Review ~/.config/ for orphaned folders
• Clear ~/.cache/thumbnails/
• Run docker system prune (if using Docker)

Quarterly:

• Take inventory of installed software
• Remove unused applications
• Take fresh Timeshift snapshot
• Review startup services

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Troubleshooting

"Package not found" when trying to remove

# Check what method was used
dpkg -l | grep package-name
flatpak list | grep package-name
snap list | grep package-name

# Find files manually
sudo find / -name "*package*" 2>/dev/null

Desktop entry won't disappear

# Update database
update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications/

# Check both locations
ls ~/.local/share/applications/ | grep package
ls /usr/share/applications/ | grep package

"Directory not empty" errors

# See what's left
ls -la /path/to/directory/

# Force remove if safe
sudo rm -rf /path/to/directory/

Application still appears in menu after removal

# Clear menu cache
rm ~/.cache/menus/*

# Restart panel
xfce4-panel -r

# Or log out and back in

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Summary

Golden Rule: Before installing anything, ask yourself:

1. How will I uninstall this?
2. Where will files be placed?
3. Is there a package manager version?

Priority order for installations:

1. APT package (easiest to remove)
2. Flatpak (sandboxed, clean removal)
3. AppImage (single file, portable)
4. Tarball extract (manual but contained)
5. Source build (hardest to track)

When in doubt:

• Check dpkg -l, flatpak list, snap list
• Use find / -name "*program*" to locate files
• Document your installs
• Take Timeshift snapshots

Remember: Modern Linux is designed to be messy-proof. Most installations can't break your system permanently. The worst case is a few leftover files taking up disk space.

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Created: October 2025
For: Linux Mint 22.2 (Zara) / Ubuntu 24.04 base
License: Do whatever you want with this guide

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Additional Resources

• Arch Wiki - Pacman/Remove (concepts apply to all distros)
• Debian Wiki - Uninstalling
• Flatpak Documentation
• AppImageHub - Check for official uninstall instructions

Need help? Check /var/log/dpkg.log to see what was installed and when.