How to Remove LibreOffice from Ubuntu

LibreOffice is the default office suite on many Ubuntu Desktop installs—Writer, Calc, Impress, and related apps shipped as APT packages. On Ubuntu Server or minimal images it is usually not installed until you add it. If you want a slimmer system, fewer background integrations, or a different office app, you need to remove LibreOffice from Ubuntu in a way that drops binaries, menu entries, and dependency libraries—not just the main metapackage name.

This guide shows how to completely remove LibreOffice on Ubuntu: find what is installed, apt remove vs apt purge, the quoted 'libreoffice*' wildcard, autoremove for libuno and ure, user config under ~/.config/libreoffice, and the graphical App Center path. I installed libreoffice-core and libreoffice-writer on Ubuntu 25.04 for testing (this host had no LibreOffice at first), then purged and verified leftovers. Desktop systems with the full metapackage follow the same purge commands with more packages in the removal list.

Tested on: Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin); kernel 6.14.0-37-generic.

Quick command summary

Is LibreOffice installed on your Ubuntu system?

Ubuntu Desktop ISOs typically include the libreoffice metapackage. Server and cloud images do not unless you installed a desktop stack later.

Check from the terminal:

apt-cache policy libreoffice
dpkg -l | grep -i libreoffice | head
command -v libreoffice

On my test host before install:

libreoffice:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 4:25.2.7-0ubuntu0.25.04.1

No dpkg lines and no libreoffice on PATH—typical for a server-style system. If you need a throwaway install to practice removal:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y libreoffice-core libreoffice-writer

That pulled 46 packages (~327 MB) on Ubuntu 25.04, including libreoffice-common (which owns /usr/bin/libreoffice), libreoffice-core, libreoffice-writer, and python3-uno.

What you are removing

LibreOffice on Ubuntu is split across many APT names:

Find which package owns the launcher:

dpkg -S "$(command -v libreoffice)"

libreoffice-common: /usr/bin/libreoffice

If you remove LibreOffice to save space before installing OnlyOffice or another suite, the must-have Ubuntu apps list covers common replacements from apt and Snap.

For general uninstall patterns (purge vs remove, Snap, Flatpak), see how to remove software on Ubuntu.

Find how LibreOffice was installed (apt, Snap, or Flatpak)

apt and snap can both report LibreOffice as not installed while the app still opens from the menu. That usually means it came from a different channel than the one you are trying to remove.

Ubuntu App Center often lists two entries—an APT package and a Snap—and you may also have a Flatpak install or a manual .deb from libreoffice.org. Run every check below before you purge so you match the uninstall command to how the suite was actually installed.

Run all three checks before you purge:

apt-cache policy libreoffice
dpkg -l | grep -i libreoffice | head
snap list | grep -i libre
flatpak list --app | grep -i libre
command -v libreoffice

Ubuntu 24.04 minimal installs may not include LibreOffice until you add it. Full desktop images usually ship the APT metapackage; Snap is optional through App Center.

Remove LibreOffice on Ubuntu (keep configuration)

Use apt remove when you might reinstall soon and want to keep system config stubs:

sudo apt remove 'libreoffice*'

That drops program files but may leave rc rows in dpkg -l for some components. For a one-way uninstall, skip straight to purge below.

Completely remove LibreOffice on Ubuntu (recommended)

Step 1: Preview the purge (optional)

Simulate the purge first so you see what else apt might touch:

sudo apt purge -s 'libreoffice*' 2>&1 | grep -v 'is not installed' | tail -20

Read the REMOVING list. If a package you still need appears, stop and purge individual libreoffice-* names instead.

Step 2: Purge all libreoffice* packages

sudo apt purge -y 'libreoffice*'

On my test run after reinstalling core + writer, apt targeted 10 packages (~287 MB):

The following packages will be REMOVED:
  libreoffice-base-core* libreoffice-common* libreoffice-core*
  libreoffice-math* libreoffice-style-colibre* libreoffice-uiconfig-common*
  libreoffice-uiconfig-math* libreoffice-uiconfig-writer* libreoffice-writer*
  python3-uno*
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 10 to remove and 38 not upgraded.
After this operation, 287 MB disk space will be freed.
Removing libreoffice-writer (4:25.2.7-0ubuntu0.25.04.1) ...
Removing libreoffice-core (4:25.2.7-0ubuntu0.25.04.1) ...
Removing libreoffice-common (4:25.2.7-0ubuntu0.25.04.1) ...
Purging configuration files for libreoffice-common (4:25.2.7-0ubuntu0.25.04.1) ...
Purging configuration files for libreoffice-core (4:25.2.7-0ubuntu0.25.04.1) ...

You may see harmless rmdir messages under /var/lib/libreoffice during purge—that is normal when directories were already empty.

Step 3: Quiet the “not installed” noise

Apt also matches hundreds of language packs and optional modules in the index. Expect lines like:

Package 'libreoffice-l10n-de' is not installed, so not removed
Package 'libreoffice-help-en-gb' is not installed, so not removed

Those are not errors. To hide them when capturing output:

sudo apt purge -y 'libreoffice*' 2>&1 | grep -v 'is not installed'

Step 4: Autoremove UNO / URE dependencies

libreoffice* does not remove libuno-*, ure, or uno-libs-private. After purge, apt usually suggests:

The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
  fonts-opensymbol libabw-0.1-1 ... libuno-cppu3t64 ... uno-libs-private ure
Use 'sudo apt autoremove' to remove them.

Preview, then run:

sudo apt autoremove --dry-run
sudo apt autoremove -y

On my host autoremove dropped 36 packages (~40 MB), including fonts-opensymbol and other libraries only LibreOffice needed. See also remove unused packages on Ubuntu.

Clear cached .deb files if you want to reclaim a little more disk after a large removal:

sudo apt autoclean

Step 5: Purge rc configuration leftovers

If you used apt remove earlier, dpkg -l may show rc rows (config only). Finish cleanup:

dpkg -l | awk '/^rc/ && /libreoffice/ {print $2}'
sudo apt purge $(dpkg -l | awk '/^rc/ && /libreoffice/ {print $2}')

Step 6: Delete personal configuration

Package purge does not touch your home directory:

rm -rf ~/.config/libreoffice

Remove local templates or macros only if you stored them outside that path.

Step 7: Verify complete removal

dpkg -l | grep -i libreoffice
ls /usr/share/applications/*libreoffice* 2>/dev/null
command -v libreoffice

After a full purge + autoremove on my system:

(no dpkg matches)
(no desktop files)
(no command on PATH)

Remove LibreOffice from Ubuntu App Center (GUI)

On Ubuntu Desktop:

1. Open Ubuntu Software or App Center.
2. Go to Installed (or search LibreOffice).
3. Click Uninstall on LibreOffice.

The GUI typically runs apt remove on the libreoffice metapackage. For the same depth as the terminal path, follow up with:

sudo apt purge -y 'libreoffice*'
sudo apt autoremove -y
rm -rf ~/.config/libreoffice

Remove LibreOffice Snap on Ubuntu

App Center can list both APT and Snap builds of LibreOffice. apt purge does not remove the Snap copy—you need a separate snap remove when that channel is installed.

snap list | grep -i libre
sudo snap remove libreoffice

Verify:

snap list | grep -i libre || echo "snap removed"
ls ~/snap/libreoffice 2>/dev/null || echo "no snap data dir"

Snap data under ~/snap/libreoffice may linger until you remove the snap; delete that directory only if you are sure you will not reinstall the Snap.

Remove LibreOffice Flatpak on Ubuntu

flatpak list --app | grep -i libre
flatpak uninstall org.libreoffice.LibreOffice
flatpak uninstall --unused

Remove LibreOffice installed from libreoffice.org (.deb)

If you installed the upstream .deb bundle (common when replacing distro packages with a newer LibreOffice), package names often look like libreoffice7.6* and libobasis* instead of the plain libreoffice metapackage:

dpkg -l | grep -E 'libobasis|libreoffice[0-9]'
sudo apt purge -y 'libreoffice*' 'libobasis*'
sudo apt autoremove -y

Another minimal path is purging libreoffice-common first, then running autoremove—the wildcard above is broader and matches more installs.

Remove LibreOffice with Synaptic (GUI)

Synaptic offers the same complete removal as apt purge through a graphical package list:

sudo apt install -y synaptic
sudo synaptic

Search libreoffice, mark libreoffice or libreoffice-common for Complete Removal, apply, then run sudo apt autoremove in a terminal. Synaptic mirrors apt purge but still benefits from the autoremove and ~/.config/libreoffice cleanup steps above.

Remove only one LibreOffice app

To drop Writer but keep Calc, purge a single package:

sudo apt purge libreoffice-writer
sudo apt autoremove -y

Purging libreoffice-calc, libreoffice-impress, or others works the same way. To remove the whole suite, use 'libreoffice*' or purge the libreoffice metapackage on desktop systems where it is installed:

sudo apt purge libreoffice
sudo apt autoremove -y

Use sudo and apt the same way you would for any other metapackage.

Alternatives after uninstall

If you still need to edit documents locally:

Install the replacement before you purge if this machine must stay productive during the change.

Troubleshooting

References

• LibreOffice wiki: Install on Linux
• LibreOffice community forum: uninstall on Ubuntu
• Ubuntu Help: remove applications

Summary

To remove LibreOffice from Ubuntu, first identify the install channel—apt, Snap, Flatpak, or a manual libreoffice.org .deb. For archive packages, run sudo apt purge -y 'libreoffice*' with the wildcard quoted, then sudo apt autoremove -y and sudo apt autoclean. Run sudo snap remove libreoffice or flatpak uninstall when those channels apply. Delete ~/.config/libreoffice for user settings. Confirm with dpkg -l | grep -i libreoffice and snap list—no matches means you are done on those channels.