This article shows you how to uninstall software from a computer running Ubuntu Linux and how to also delete the operating system if necessary. If you have two different operating systems on your system, one of which is Linux, you will simply have to delete the partition of the hard drive that contains the Ubuntu installation.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Uninstall a Program Using the Terminal Window
Step 1. Open a terminal window by clicking the icon
It should be visible on the left side of the screen, inside the sidebar. Otherwise, select the Ubuntu icon located in the upper left corner of the screen, type the keyword terminal in the search bar and select the icon of the same name as soon as it appears in the list of search results.
Step 2. Access the list of all programs currently installed on your computer
Type the command dpkg --list into the "Terminal" window and press the Enter key.
Step 3. Find the program you want to uninstall
In this case you need to know the name of the program's executable file rather than the one it is distributed or known by (for example "avg.exe" in the case of the AVG Antivirus program).
Step 4. Use the "apt-get" command
The complete syntax is sudo apt-get --purge remove [program_name]. Make sure to replace the parameter [program_name] with the name of the executable file of the software to be removed. As a last step, press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Step 5. Enter the password of the system "root" user
This is the system administrator profile. After providing the requested information, press the Enter key.
Step 6. Confirm your action
Type the letter y and press the Enter key. The indicated program will be uninstalled. At the end of the uninstallation you can close the "Terminal" window.
- Depending on the size of the program to be removed, the uninstallation procedure may take some time to complete.
- If using the apt-get command does not remove the software correctly, try using the command sudo aptitude remove [program_name].
Method 2 of 3: Uninstall a Program Using Ubuntu Software Center
Step 1. Launch Ubuntu Software Center
It features an orange suitcase icon marked with a small white "A". Ubuntu Linux comes with a built-in package manager that allows you to install or uninstall programs in just a few mouse clicks.
If you cannot locate the Ubuntu Software Center icon, select the Ubuntu icon located in the upper left corner of the screen, type the keyword ubuntu software in the search bar and select its icon as soon as it appears at the inside the search results list
Step 2. Access the Installed tab
It features a computer monitor icon and is located at the top of the Ubuntu Software Center window.
Step 3. Find the program you want to uninstall
Scroll through the list of programs installed on your system until you locate the one you want to remove. Alternatively, type the software name into the search bar in the upper right corner of the window.
Step 4. Press the Remove button
It is located to the right of the name of the program to uninstall.
Step 5. If prompted, confirm your action
In this case you will have to press the button again Remove then press the button OK that will appear.
The program uninstallation confirmation pop-up window may vary slightly depending on the version of Ubuntu you are using
Step 6. Close the Ubuntu Software Center window
The selected program should have been successfully uninstalled.
Method 3 of 3: Uninstall Ubuntu Linux
Step 1. Get a Windows installation CD / DVD or bootable USB stick
If only Ubuntu is installed on your computer, the easiest way to remove it is to format the hard drive using the Windows installation CD / DVD.
- Usually on Macs, Ubuntu is not installed as the computer's only operating system;
- To create a Windows installation CD / DVD on an Ubuntu system, insert a blank disc into the optical drive of the computer, download the Windows ISO image directly from the official website, select the ISO file with the right button of the mouse, choose the option Write to disk …, select the burner and finally press the button Create image.
Step 2. Insert the installation CD / DVD into your computer
Make sure the printed side is facing up.
If you burned the disc using the instructions described in the previous step of the method, you can skip this step
Step 3. Restart your computer
Choose the option Settings clicking the icon
gear in the upper right corner of the screen, choose the option Stop … displayed at the bottom of the drop-down menu that appeared, then select the item Restart.
Step 4. Boot the system from the CD / DVD drive
Using most modern computers, simply press any key on the keyboard.
If the system is configured to boot from hard drive, you will need to select the button to access "Boot Options" during the computer boot phase or set the system's optical drive as a boot device using the Ubuntu GRUB menu
Step 5. Set the date and time and select your language, then press the Next button
Use the drop-down menus displayed in the center of the Windows installation wizard window.
Step 6. Press the Install Now button
It is located in the center of the screen.
Step 7. Enter the Product Key of your copy of Windows 10, then press the Next button
Type it inside the text field visible at the bottom of the screen.
Alternatively, you can select the link I don't have a product key if you want to enter the code later. In this case, however, you will have to manually select the version of Windows to install.
Step 8. Select the "I agree" checkbox, then press the Next button
This will take you to the terms of Microsoft's agreement to use the licensed software and will take you to the next installation step.
Step 9. Choose the Custom option
It is placed in the center of the page.
Step 10. Select the partition or hard drive where the Ubuntu installation is located
Step 11. Erase the Ubuntu installation drive
Choose the option Delete, then press the button OK when required. The Ubuntu installation will be erased and the disk will be formatted with the NTFS file system, which is the file system format used by Windows.
In some cases you may need to select the item first Disc options placed under the selected unit.
Step 12. Press the Next button
This will start the installation of Windows on the indicated hard drive or partition.
Step 13. Now you just have to follow the instructions that will appear on the screen
After the Windows installation is complete, you will need to go through the initial setup wizard (set the language, date, time, configure accessibility options, etc.). By the time you complete this step Ubuntu will have been permanently deleted from your computer.
