Table of Contents

Ubuntu - Packages - Purge removed, unpurged packages

When a package is removed, but not purged, the configuration files are usually not removed.

Obtain a list of removed, unpurged packages

dpkg --list | grep ^rc

returns: 

rc  linux-image-5.11.0-25-generic              5.11.0-25.27~20.04.1                       amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.11.0-27-generic              5.11.0-27.29~20.04.1                       amd64        Signed kernel image generic
...

NOTE: The ^rc pattern means that only lines beginning with rc should be output.

  • The r part means that the package was removed.
  • The c part means that the config files remain.

Use AWK to get a listing of just the package names

dpkg --list | grep ^rc | awk '{ print $2; }'

returns: 

linux-image-5.11.0-25-generic
linux-image-5.11.0-27-generic
...

Purge the removed, unpurged packages

sudo apt purge `dpkg --list | grep ^rc | awk '{ print $2; }'`

NOTE: Some warnings may be seen stating that specific directories were not removed.

  • These directories can be checked if they are empty and then removed manually if required.