How to Delete a User Profile in Ubuntu

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If you are using Ubuntu Linux as your operating system, you may have created multiple user accounts for yourself or other users on your system.

User accounts allow you to log in with different passwords, settings, and preferences, depending on your needs and preferences.

However, sometimes you may want to delete a user account that you no longer need or use.

This can be useful if you want to free up some disk space, simplify your login process, or remove unwanted access to your system.

In this article, I will show you how to delete a user profile in Ubuntu using either the command line or the graphical user interface (GUI).

If you are using Ubuntu Linux as your operating system, you may have created multiple user accounts for yourself or other users on your system.

User accounts allow you to log in with different passwords, settings, and preferences, depending on your needs and preferences.

However, sometimes you may want to delete a user account that you no longer need or use.

This can be useful if you want to free up some disk space, simplify your login process, or remove unwanted access to your system.

In this article, I will show you how to delete a user profile in Ubuntu using either the command line or the graphical user interface (GUI).

I will also explain why deleting a user account is important and the consequences of doing so.

An image illustration on How to Delete a User Profile in Ubuntu.
How to Delete a User Profile in Ubuntu with easy steps.
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Why Delete a User Account in Ubuntu?

Let’s first understand why deleting a user account is important and what are the consequences of doing so.

Deleting a user account in Ubuntu means removing all the files, settings, and permissions associated with that account from the system. This includes:

  • The home directory of the user
  • The configuration files of the user
  • The login shell of the user
  • The sudo privileges of the user
  • The access rights of the user to other users and groups

When you delete a user account in Ubuntu, you should be aware of these implications:

  • You will lose all your data stored in that home directory. Make sure you back up any important files before deleting them.
  • You will lose all your customizations made to that configuration file. Make sure you save any changes before deleting them.
  • You will lose all your commands executed by that login shell. Make sure you exit any programs or processes before deleting them.
  • You will lose all your sudo privileges granted by that account. Make sure you revoke any sudo access before deleting them.
  • You will lose all your access rights granted to other users and groups by that account. Make sure you revoke any permissions before deleting them.

If you delete a user account in Ubuntu without being careful about these implications, you may lose some valuable data or functionality from your system.

Therefore, it is recommended that you only delete a user account in Ubuntu when necessary and after making sure that nothing important is lost or affected by doing so.

How to Delete a User Profile in Ubuntu Using Command Line

One way to delete a user profile in Ubuntu is by using the command line. This method requires root privileges or sudo access to your system.

To delete a user profile in Ubuntu using the command line, follow these steps:

  1. Open a terminal window by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T or searching for Terminal from the applications menu.
  2. Log in as root or use sudo before any commands by typing sudo followed by your password when prompted.
  3. To list all the users on your system, type getent passwd. You should see something like this:
root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
daemon:x:1:1:daemon:/usr/sbin:/usr/sbin/nologin
bin:x:2:2:bin:/bin:/usr/sbin/nologin
sys:x:3:3:sys:/dev:/usr/sbin/nologin
sync:x:4:65534::sys:/dev:/usr/sbin/nologin
games:x:5:100::/usr/games:/usr/sbin/nologin
man:x:6:100::/var/cache/man:/usr/sbin/nologin
lp:x:7:100::/var/spool/lpd/:nogroup
...
  1. To identify which username corresponds to which home directory (the first column), type ls -ld /home. You should see something like this:
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Jan 11 10:00 /home/root
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Jan 11 10:00 /home/daemon
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Jan 11 10:00 /home/bin
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Jan 11 10:00 /home/sys
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Jan 11 10:00 /home/sync
drwxr-xr-x ...
  1. To identify which username corresponds to which configuration file (the second column), type find / -name "*.user" (replace .user with .conf if needed).
  1. To identify which username corresponds to which configuration file (the second column), type find / -name “*.user”(replace .user with .conf if needed). You should see something like this.

/home/username/.user

/home/username/.user.bak

  1. To delete the configuration file of the user, type rm /home/username/.user. You should see a message like this:

removed ‘home/username/.user’

  1. To delete the user profile in Ubuntu using GUI, follow these steps:
  • Open the settings window and click on the “Users” tab.
  • Click on the “Unlock” button, and enter your user password when prompted.
  • Click on the username you want to delete, and you will see a red “Remove User…” button in the bottom right corner.
  • Click on the red button to confirm the deletion of the user profile.

You have successfully deleted a user profile in Ubuntu using either the command line or GUI.

https://youtu.be/t_uGrOHzrK4

How do I delete a user in Ubuntu 18?

GNOME User Management is a new system in Ubuntu 18.04 that simplifies the management of user accounts and tasks.

To remove a user from this system, you need to open the terminal and enter “manageuser”.

Next, enter “deselect” to take the user off the user list.

How do I delete user accounts on my computer without a command line?

To enhance your privacy, you can delete user accounts on your computer.

However, you need to be careful and have good reasons for doing this.

Follow these tips to delete user accounts:

1. Go to the “accounts” tab after logging in to your account. Click on the ellipsis (…) under “user accounts” and choose “delete.”

2. Enter a valid reason for deleting the account and press the “delete” button.

3. Enter a new name for the account and press the “save” button.

4. Press the “apply changes” button and confirm your deletion by pressing the “confirm” button.

5. Do steps 2-4 again until you have deleted all user accounts!

I hope you found this article helpful and informative.

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