How to clean leftover Flatpaks from Linux
Flatpak applications are common on Linux. Users who install Flatpak apps from the Flathub app store leave data behind in their home directories. Data that stays there, even after a program is uninstalled from the system.
This data can build up. If you want to keep your Linux system running in top shape, you need to clean it and maintain it occasionally. That’s where Flatsweep comes in. It’s a nice, easy-to-use program that can scan your Linux computer for residual Flatpak app data, and clean it for you.
In this guide, we’ll show you how you can install Flatsweep, and how to use it to clean up the residual Flatpak data on your Linux desktop or laptop. To get started, ensure you have administrator access, so that you can install the Flatsweep program.
How to install Flatsweep on Linux
To install the Flatsweep application on your Linux PC, you need to install the Flatpak runtime. The Flatpak runtime handles the data, the application runtimes, and everything else.
To get the app working, you need to install the Flatpak runtime on your computer, if you don’t have it set up already. To start, open up a terminal window. You can open up a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on the keyboard. Or, by searching for “Terminal” in the app menu.
Once the terminal app is open, follow the installation instructions below that correspond with the Linux operating system that you are using.
Ubuntu
To get the Flatpak runtime working on your Ubuntu system, use the apt install command and set up the “flatpak” package.
sudo apt install flatpak
Debian
Those on Debian can install the Flatpak runtime on your Debian system, use the apt-get install command to install the “flatpak” package. The apt install command also works on newer releases.
sudo apt-get install flatpak
Arch Linux
On Arch Linux, you can get the Flatpak runtime working by running the following pacman -S command and install the “flatpak” package.
sudo pacman -S flatpak
Fedora
If you run Fedora Linux, the Flatpak runtime is installed and set up by default, so you don’t need to install anything. However, if you have previously uninstalled the “flatpak” package, you can re-install it with the dnf install command.
sudo dnf install flatpak
OpenSUSE*
If you’re on OpenSUSE, the Flatpak runtime is probably already set up on your computer. That being said, if you need to reinstall the runtime, for whatever reason, you can install the “flatpak” package with the zypper in command.
sudo zypper in flatpak
From Flathub
The primary place to install the Flatsweep application is via the Flathub app store. However, the Flathub app store needs to be added to your computer beforehand. To add the Flathub app store, open up a terminal window and run the following command.
flatpak --user remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
Now that the Flathub app store is enabled on your system, you can easily install the Flatsweep application on your computer with this command below.
flatpak install flathub io.github.giantpinkrobots.flatsweep
From GitHub releases
While the Flathub installation method is the best way, you can also install the Flatsweep application directly from Github. Here’s how to do it. First, use the wget command to download the latest Flatpak file.
wget https://github.com/giantpinkrobots/flatsweep/releases/download/v2023.8.21/io.github.giantpinkrobots.flatsweep.flatpak
You can now install the software with the flatpak install command below.
sudo flatpak install io.github.giantpinkrobots.flatsweep.flatpak
How to use Flatsweep on Linux
To use the Flatsweep application, start by launching it. You can launch the Flatsweep program on your Linux PC by searching for “Flatsweep” in the app menu. Alternatively, use the flatpak run command to launch it.
flatpak run io.github.giantpinkrobots.flatsweep
Once the Flatsweep application is open, and running on your Linux PC, it’ll start scanning your computer for Leftover Flatpak data. Give it a second. When the scanning is complete, you will see an estimation of how much leftover Flatpak data is on your Linux PC.
Find the “Clean” button, and click on it with the mouse. When you select the “Clean” button, it’ll delete all of the Flatpak data that resides on your computer. This data cannot be recovered, so be careful only to delete data you don’t want anymore.
