Ubuntu 25.04 Disk Cleanup Guide

This guide covers methods to reclaim disk space by removing unnecessary packages, caches, and logs.

1. System Package Cleanup (APT)

Ubuntu uses apt for package management. Over time, cached installers and old dependencies accumulate.

• Remove unnecessary dependencies:

  sudo apt autoremove --purge
  

• Clear the local repository of retrieved package files:

  sudo apt clean
  

• Check how much space APT is using:

  du -sh /var/cache/apt/archives
  

2. Snap Package Management

Snaps often keep multiple versions of the same application, consuming significant space.

• List snaps and their versions:

  snap list --all
  

• Reduce the number of old versions kept (default is 3, minimum is 2):

  sudo snap set system refresh.retain=2
  

• Manually remove “disabled” snaps:

  # This script removes old versions of snaps
  set -eu
  snap list --all | awk '/disabled/{print $1, $3}' |
      while read snapname revision; do
          sudo snap remove "$snapname" --revision="$revision"
      done
  

3. Log File Management

System logs can grow indefinitely if not managed.

• Check journal log size:

  journalctl --disk-usage
  

• Vacuum logs older than 3 days:

  sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=3d
  

• Limit logs to a specific size (e.g., 500MB):

  sudo journalctl --vacuum-size=500M
  

4. User Cache and Temp Files

• Clear Thumbnail Cache:

  rm -rf ~/.cache/thumbnails/*
  

• Find large files/directories: Install ncdu for an interactive disk usage analyzer:

  sudo apt install ncdu
  ncdu /
  

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Automation

The best way to automate this is via a custom shell script triggered by a systemd timer or a cron job.

Recommended Automation Script (/usr/local/bin/sys-cleanup.sh)

#!/bin/bash
# Perform system maintenance
apt-get autoremove -y
apt-get clean
journalctl --vacuum-time=7d
# Clean old snap versions
snap list --all | awk '/disabled/{print $1, $3}' | while read snapname revision; do
    snap remove "$snapname" --revision="$revision"
done

Scheduling with Cron

To run this weekly, add it to root’s crontab:

1. sudo crontab -e
2. Add: 0 0 * * 0 /usr/local/bin/sys-cleanup.sh

GUI Option: BleachBit

For an automated GUI experience, BleachBit is the industry standard.

• Install: sudo apt install bleachbit
• Automation: It supports a CLI mode (bleachbit --clean system.apt_cache) which can also be scripted.