How To Clean Apt Cache On Ubuntu Server

gnome shell trash panel item — Let'due south get across the obvious

Let's say you demand to complimentary up infinite on Ubuntu — how do you go about it?

Different Windows, which comes with congenital-in defrag and disk clean-upward tools, Ubuntu doesn't make information technologyimmediately obvious how you go about trying to free up space.

And so what do you lot practise once y'all've emptied the trash and deleted those sizeable .ISO downloads? How do yous recover more space?

Beneath, we testify you 5 super uncomplicated (and in some cases blindingly obvious yet easily forgotten) steps you tin can have to become back GBs, materialise MBs, and clean out the KB cruft!

Side by side time you need more space — and heck: even if you don't — here are five elementary means to gratuitous upward disk space on Ubuntu.

1. Clean the APT Cache (And Do It Regularly)

It sounds so obvious yet chances are yous oasis't done this for a while.

Past default Ubuntu keeps every update it downloads and installs in a cache on your disk, merely in instance you need information technology once more.

This is useful if y'all regularly add together and remove apps, notice yourself needing to reconfigure/reinstall a specific parcel, or simply have a poor connection.

Only the flip side is that the apt packet enshroud tin quickly cracking to several hundred MBs. This command tells you how big your apt cache is:

du -sh /var/enshroud/apt/archives

To clean the apt cache on Ubuntu simply run the following command.

sudo apt-go clean

The apt clean control removes ALL packages kept in the apt cache, regardless of age or need. If you're on a slow, capped or intermittent connexion yous may desire to consider skipping this footstep.

ii. Remove Onetime Kernels (If No Longer Required)

remove old kernels

Now, absolutely, this step is one you desire to arroyo with caution.

Having a choice of kernels to kicking up is, honestly, quite handy, especially if you notice something has gone awry while using the latest one.

Unless you're in the throes of constant hardware woes there's little demand to hoard kernels.

Information technology'south easy to remove old kernels in Ubuntu. You tin can do it from the command line using the following command:

sudo apt-get autoremove --purge

Annotation that this command volition simply remove kernels that a) are no longer needed and b) were installed from the Ubuntu archive through system updates. If you install kernels manually or using a third-political party PPA yous'll need to roll up your sleeves and remove those manually.

three. Uninstall Apps & Games You Never Utilise (And Be Honest!)

Chances are you have a number of apps installed that you never use. Maybe yous installed them on the dorsum of an awesome review, out of nosiness, or to tackle a specific task.

Whatever the excuse, if y'all no longer need an app, and it's taking up space, don't exist agape to uninstall it.

Typical apps y'all may wish to expunge include web browsers (are you ever going to employ Opera, Epiphany, Midori and Min?), music players (heck knows at that place's enough of 'em) and games that sounded good in the Steam Store blurb but were as much fun as a Windows 10 update combo!

And everyone hasLibreOffce Draw knocking near doing nix! 😅

Don't lie to yourself about might-needs and could-dos, either. The beauty of most software is that it'due south not going away anytime soon. This is never truer than on Linux, where apps remain anapt install command away.

To remove apps from the command line run:

sudo apt-become remove packet-name1 package-name2

To remove excess packages and dependencies that are no longer required (because you've uninstalled other packages or newer versions have replaced them) run the following command:

sudo apt-become autoremove

iv. Use A System Cleaner like BleachBit

Screen Shot 2016-08-09 at 16.09.32

Writing a "to-do" list on system cleaning would cease upwards 10x longer if nosotros listed every app, cache, log and organisation process hiding in every nook and cranny of your OS.

BleachBit saves united states from doing that.

It's similar CCleaner for Linux; a byte scouring animate being. The app tin find and clean pretty much every fluff file there is and, every bit a event, should simply ever exist used with circumspection.

BleachBut tin wipe the caches of more than lxx popular desktop applications (including most web browsers); hoover up old file, browser and bash histories; and makes low-cal piece of work of those crash logs you'll never go effectually to reading.

No surprise that nosotros recommend installing it as i of our top things to do afterwards installing Ubuntu.

You can install BleachBit on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (and higher up) straight from Ubuntu Software.

Run the app equally root for maximum cleaning power. Check the boxes beside the things you'd like to clean. Click Preview to see an estimate of how much space they currently have up, and click Make clean to remove them.

Install BleachBit from Ubuntu Software

5. Stay up to date (seriously, do it!)

The most obvious step on this list is as well the one few people would think to recommend. See, unlike Windows, where every new update adds more overhead and bloat, package updates on Linux oftgratuitous infinite rather than utilise it.

So next time yous put off that 156MB librandom-package102 update cos you lot're running low on space, maybe retrieve once again!