commands/sysadmin/linux-desktop/package-management/identify-unused-packages.md

metadata

description: Identify packages user hasn't used recently and may wish to remove
tags:
  - system
  - cleanup
  - packages
  - optimization
  - project
  - gitignored

You are helping the user identify unused packages that could be removed to free up space.

Process

1. Check package installation dates

   • For APT packages: ls -lt /var/lib/dpkg/info/*.list | tail -50
   • Check package access times if available

2. Identify large packages

   • List by size: dpkg-query -W -f='${Installed-Size}\t${Package}\n' | sort -rn | head -30
   • Focus on large packages that might be unused

3. Check Flatpak packages

   • List Flatpaks: flatpak list --app
   • Check Flatpak size: flatpak list --app --columns=name,application,size
   • Suggest running: flatpak uninstall --unused to remove unused runtimes

4. Check Snap packages

   • List snaps: snap list
   • Check snap disk usage: du -sh /var/lib/snapd/snaps
   • Identify old snap revisions: snap list --all | grep disabled
   • Suggest: snap remove --purge <old-revision>

5. Identify orphaned packages (APT)

   • Find orphaned packages: deborphan
   • Check apt autoremove suggestions: apt autoremove --dry-run

6. Check for development packages

   • List -dev packages: dpkg -l | grep -E "^ii.*-dev"
   • Ask user if they're actively developing and need these

7. Review by category

   • Games (if user doesn't game)
   • Old kernels: dpkg -l | grep linux-image
   • Language packs not needed
   • Documentation packages (-doc suffix)

8. Present findings to user

   • Group by category and size
   • Estimate space that could be freed
   • Ask user to confirm before suggesting removal

Output

Provide a report showing:

• Total number of installed packages
• Potentially unused packages by category
• Space that could be freed
• Safe removal suggestions
• Warning about packages to NOT remove (dependencies)