I would like to know if there is an easy way to remove any installed software. I do know that sudo apt-get remove <package-name>
command, but what happens when you don't know the package name. Let's say you install form a .deb
file and you don't know what the package name is? It would be great if there was an universal un-installer, like the one in the Ubuntu Software Center, but for all packages.
-
Can you give an example of how or why this would happen: Lets say you install form a .deb file and you don’t know what the package name is? ?– user25656Sep 24, 2013 at 2:57
3 Answers
1. If you know the application package name
From terminal, use one of the following commands:
sudo apt-get remove package_name
remove is identical to install except that packages are removed instead of installed. Note that removing a package leaves its configuration files on the system. If a plus sign is appended to the package name (with no intervening space), the identified package will be installed instead of removed.
Source:
man apt-get
apt-get purge package_name
purge is identical to remove except that packages are removed and purged (any configuration files are deleted too).
Source:
man apt-get
You can also use:
aptitude
with the same arguments as ofapt-get
.- Ubuntu Software Center:
2. If you know how to open the respective application from GUI
Find application package name using this method:
Go to the step 1.
3. If you forgot the application/package name and you don't know where to find it
Ubuntu Software Center is very useful in this sense. It knows about any application installed on your system: provided by Ubuntu, from Canonical partners, from purchase, from PPAs, from .deb
files, etc. To find them:
- Click Installed tab and search there your application:
- Click History tab, then Installations and search there your application/package:
This may be useful for you.
-
Again thank you for the help, you both will have made this much easier.– DaltonSep 24, 2013 at 22:50
There is aptitude, it is console based, but it gives you a complete list of the installed software and once you know the keyboard commands, it's fairly easy to navigate.
Otherwise, the following gives you a list of your package:
dpkg --list
But be careful, make sure to use apt-get to do removes/installs unless you know what you're doing.