How to Uninstall Software Packages on Ubuntu Using apt

This tutorial will guide you through the process of uninstalling packages, including their dependencies and configuration files.

Step 1: Find the Exact Package Name

Before you can uninstall a package, you need to know its exact name. You can use the dpkg -l command to list all installed packages.

dpkg -l

To filter the list and find your target package, you can pipe the output to grep. For example, to find the package that provides the Apache web server, run:

dpkg -l | grep apache

Step 2: Remove the Package

Once you know the package name (for example, apache2), you can remove it using either apt remove or apt purge.

sudo apt purge [package]
sudo apt remove [package]

apt remove deletes the package but keeps its config files.
apt purge deletes the package along with its config files.
To completely remove a package, it's generally recommended to use apt purge.

For example, the following command uninstalls the apache2 package:

sudo apt purge apache2

Step 3: Remove Unused Dependencies

After uninstalling a package, some dependency packages may remain. To remove these, use the apt autoremove command:

sudo apt autoremove

This command removes any dependency packages that are no longer needed by other installed software.

Step 4: Check for Leftover Config Files

Sometimes, apps store user-specific configuration files in the .config directory inside your home folder.

cd ~/.config/

This is common with desktop apps like TeamViewer, OBS Studio, or web browsers. These files aren't removed automatically.

You have to remove them manually using the rm command.