37

I was able to go to the ubuntu software center before and remove it and now it doesn't show up since the switch to the gnome software store. Trying the terminal method of removing the shopping lens doesn't work in this release.

enter image description here

5
  • 1
    I can remove it running apt-get remove unity-webapps-common but unity tweak tool needs this package too.
    – Klyn
    Apr 21, 2016 at 22:54
  • The shopping lens is not installed in 16.04 by default. The Amazon icon you see is the web app. Searching in the dash will not invoke it.
    – dobey
    Apr 28, 2016 at 18:21
  • 4
    Back in Ubuntu 12.04 days I thought they talked about ditching this spyware/marketware crap. Canonical is insane. I was disgusted to see Amazon in my unity launcher once I got a brand new 16.04 machine. So sad that the first step in each Ubuntu install is to remove junk like this!
    – Todd
    May 18, 2016 at 15:30
  • I like the solution by Reinier Post the most.
    – ADJenks
    Oct 4, 2019 at 20:51
  • If google sends you here and you have 18.04, the answer is simple: sudo apt remove ubuntu-web-launchers (run dpkg -L ubuntu-web-launchers first if you want to see what's in it--100% Amazon)
    – Lambart
    Nov 16, 2019 at 7:13

9 Answers 9

29

Removing the unity-webapps-common package removes Amazon from the dash. Since the Amazon webapp is part of that package, you can't just remove the Amazon portion (well, short of editing the source code). This is a problem when other programs (like Unity Tweak Tool) depend on that package.

As noted by fitojb in this answer to another question, however, this command will prevent the Amazon icon from showing up in the dash:

sudo rm -rf /usr/share/applications/ubuntu-amazon-default.desktop

However, as dobey pointed out in a comment below, when the unity-webapps-common package updates the file will be replaced and the command will have to be run again. A more permanent method is to copy the .desktop file to your local applications directory and then add a line to the file to prevent it from showing up in the dash:

echo 'Hidden=true' | cat /usr/share/applications/ubuntu-amazon-default.desktop - > ~/.local/share/applications/ubuntu-amazon-default.desktop
3
  • 4
    No. That is the wrong way to hide the app. It will re-appear again if/when there is an update to the unity-webapps-common package, or it gets reinstalled for some reason. Copying the file to ~/.local/share/applications/ and adding the line Hidden=true to the end of it, should actually hide it.
    – dobey
    Apr 28, 2016 at 18:21
  • I have done the 2nd "solution" as how I understand it this should overwrite the icon and make it invisible. But it does not work in ubuntu 16.10 Dec 2, 2016 at 8:50
  • In Ubuntu 17.10, .desktop file is: /usr/share/applications/com.canonical.launcher.amazon.desktop
    – mauek unak
    Oct 17, 2017 at 6:02
14

As Aibara Iduas suggests, removing /usr/share/applications/ubuntu-amazon-default.desktop is the solution. But it will come back with the next upgrade. The solution to copy the file to ~/.local/share/applications/ubuntu-amazon-default.desktop works only for the current user. To disable this .desktop file for all users on the machine, and to prevent upgrades from putting it back, the solution is to divert the file with dpkg-divert.

sudo dpkg-divert \
  --divert /usr/share/applications/ubuntu-amazon-default.desktop.diverted \
  --local \
  --rename \
  /usr/share/applications/ubuntu-amazon-default.desktop
1
  • Alternatively, put the rm -rf /usr/share/applications/ubuntu-amazon-default.desktop command into a script then run it every so often via cron. Works in Ubuntu 16.04.
    – Underverse
    Jan 27, 2017 at 13:00
6

In Ubuntu 18.04, just deinstall the ubuntu-web-launchers package:

sudo apt remove ubuntu-web-launchers

It only contains the Amazon launcher, as you can see by doing

dpkg -L ubuntu-web-launchers

first.

3
  • 1
    This was really useful. How did you find this out?
    – evaristegd
    Jul 12, 2019 at 6:30
  • 2
    I probably used locate to find relevant files and dpkg -S on a few of them to determine relevant package names. Jul 22, 2019 at 17:27
  • This should be voted up as this is a better solutions with later versions of Ubuntu.
    – 0xc0de
    Mar 18, 2020 at 6:56
5

The dash still requires the old ubuntu software center to uninstall programs, even though it is not included with 16.04. Install the software-center package and log out and back in to your account and then you will be able to view screenshots of programs and uninstall them by right clicking on them in the dash like in previous versions.

0
1

You just click on the app then drag it into the trash (it work for me).

1

For me worked this on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS:

cd /usr/share/applications
mv ubuntu-amazon-default.desktop ../~ubuntu-amazon-default.desktop
1

To avoid installing apps to unintall the app, I did it manually (in Ubuntu 16):

sudo rm /usr/share/applications/ubuntu-amazon-default.desktop
sudo rm /usr/share/unity-webapps/userscripts/unity-webapps-amazon/Amazon.user.js
sudo rm /usr/share/unity-webapps/userscripts/unity-webapps-amazon/manifest.json

If it is surreptitiously installed again, just run it again, or put it in a cleanup script you run when you update your OS.

Source: https://www.lifewire.com/remove-amazon-application-from-ubuntu-4134329

0

Attention: this solution propably only works if you have upgraded from 15.10 to 16.04 LTS

Thats pretty easy now, press windows/superkey. In bash enter amazon to find the amazon software.

Right click it and see the detailed information, where you shalt find an incredible remove button :)

Have fun.

5
  • 5
    I just see "launch" in the dash window. I'm on 16.04 btw.
    – Klyn
    Apr 21, 2016 at 22:53
  • Im aswell on 16.04, and this since two weeks. Entfernen means remove in english
    – Videonauth
    Apr 21, 2016 at 23:00
  • This is from a clean install. Not sure why they made it impossible to remove this but i guess I will have to live with it for now or switch to another *buntu :[
    – Klyn
    Apr 21, 2016 at 23:19
  • Well i will comment on this here if i find a solution, you got me going now. And ok that could possibly be the reason, i had upgraded from 15.10 to beta release.
    – Videonauth
    Apr 21, 2016 at 23:24
  • Thanks for the persistence. If I come across anything i'll make sure to update as well. It did just get released so i'm sure someone will figure it out soon.
    – Klyn
    Apr 21, 2016 at 23:37
-1

How can I remove Unity web apps? -> Try:

sudo apt-get remove unity-webapps-amazon*

Can't say it's the solution, because first thing I did, was search "amazon" files and manualy deleted "/usr/share/unity-webapps/userscripts/unity-webapps-amazon/" (no this it didn't remove Amazon) and now the apt-get wont find the Amazon.

1
  • That doesn't work in 16.04. The only package that fits that description is unity-webapps-amazoncloudread, which, if removed, does nothing.
    – Fern Moss
    Apr 26, 2016 at 1:07

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .