How to Install Ubuntu Cleaner on Ubuntu (26.04, 24.04, 22.04)

Old kernels, stale APT caches, and leftover browser data quietly eat gigabytes on Ubuntu systems. Ubuntu Cleaner is a lightweight graphical tool that scans for these files and removes them in a few clicks. To install Ubuntu Cleaner on Ubuntu, you add the Gerard Puig PPA and install a single package through APT. No default repository carries it, so the PPA is the only supported path.

These steps cover Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04 LTS. The Gerard Puig PPA publishes Ubuntu Cleaner packages for all three releases, and every command shown works identically across them.

Install Ubuntu Cleaner on Ubuntu via PPA

Update Ubuntu Before Installing Ubuntu Cleaner

Update the package lists and upgrade any outdated packages before adding the PPA:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

This guide uses sudo for commands that need root privileges. If your user is not in the sudoers file yet, run the commands as root or follow the guide on how to add and manage sudo users on Ubuntu.

Add the Ubuntu Cleaner PPA on Ubuntu

Add the official Ubuntu Cleaner PPA to your system. A Personal Package Archive (PPA) is a community-maintained repository hosted on Launchpad that provides packages not included in Ubuntu’s default repositories. The Ubuntu Cleaner PPA, maintained by Gerard Puig, provides the latest stable release:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gerardpuig/ppa -y

The -y flag automatically confirms the PPA addition. After adding the PPA, refresh the package lists so APT recognizes the newly available packages:

sudo apt update

Install Ubuntu Cleaner with APT

With the PPA configured, install Ubuntu Cleaner:

sudo apt install ubuntu-cleaner

Verify that APT pulled the package from the PPA:

apt-cache policy ubuntu-cleaner

ubuntu-cleaner:
  Installed: 1.1.4-1
  Candidate: 1.1.4-1
  Version table:
 *** 1.1.4-1 500
        500 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/gerardpuig/ppa/ubuntu noble/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Launch Ubuntu Cleaner on Ubuntu

Launch Ubuntu Cleaner from Terminal

Run the ubuntu-cleaner command to open the application from a terminal session. This is useful for checking terminal output or running Ubuntu Cleaner over an SSH connection with X11 forwarding:

ubuntu-cleaner

Launch Ubuntu Cleaner from Applications Menu

Open the Activities overview, search for “Ubuntu Cleaner,” and click the icon to launch it.

What Ubuntu Cleaner Removes on Ubuntu

Ubuntu Cleaner targets several categories of accumulated files that consume disk space over time:

Category	What It Removes	Typical Space Saved
Old Kernels	Previously installed kernel versions that remain after system upgrades	200 MB to 2 GB+
APT Cache	Downloaded .deb package files stored in /var/cache/apt/archives/	500 MB to 5 GB+
Thumbnail Cache	Cached image previews generated by the file manager	10 MB to 500 MB
Browser Cache	Cached web content from supported browsers (traditional installations only)	100 MB to 2 GB
Unneeded Packages	Orphaned dependencies no longer required by any installed software	Varies

To check how much disk space specific directories use before cleaning, the du command can show directory sizes. For example, du -sh /var/cache/apt/archives/ displays the total size of your APT cache.

Manage Ubuntu Cleaner on Ubuntu

Update Ubuntu Cleaner

Because Ubuntu Cleaner is installed via APT, it updates automatically alongside your other system packages. To manually check for and apply updates, use the standard system update commands:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

To update only Ubuntu Cleaner without upgrading other packages:

sudo apt install --only-upgrade ubuntu-cleaner

Remove Ubuntu Cleaner from Ubuntu

If you no longer need Ubuntu Cleaner, remove the package and clean up orphaned dependencies:

sudo apt remove ubuntu-cleaner

sudo apt autoremove

Remove the Ubuntu Cleaner PPA

To completely remove the PPA from your system, use the following command. Only proceed if you have not installed other applications from this repository:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:gerardpuig/ppa -y

Refresh the package cache after removing the repository:

sudo apt update

The PPA source file is now removed from /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ and APT no longer fetches packages from the Gerard Puig repository.

For more details on managing PPAs, including how to list and remove multiple repositories, see our guide on removing PPAs from Ubuntu.

Troubleshoot Ubuntu Cleaner on Ubuntu

Firefox Snap Cache Not Detected by Ubuntu Cleaner

If Firefox does not appear in Ubuntu Cleaner’s browser cache options, the Snap version of Firefox (default on Ubuntu 22.04 and newer) stores its data in a different location. Ubuntu Cleaner looks for Firefox cache in ~/.mozilla/firefox/, but Snap Firefox uses ~/snap/firefox/ instead. If you want to switch Firefox to a traditional .deb install that Ubuntu Cleaner can detect, see our guide on removing Firefox Snap from Ubuntu.

Check which cache location contains data on your system:

du -sh ~/.mozilla/firefox/*/cache2/ 2>/dev/null || echo "No traditional Firefox cache"
du -sh ~/snap/firefox/common/.cache/ 2>/dev/null || echo "No Snap Firefox cache"

Expected output when using Snap Firefox:

No traditional Firefox cache
256M	/home/user/snap/firefox/common/.cache/

If the Snap path shows cache data, Ubuntu Cleaner cannot detect it automatically. To clear Snap Firefox cache manually:

rm -rf ~/snap/firefox/common/.cache/*

This deletes cached web content only, not bookmarks or session data. The cache regenerates automatically as you browse.

Alternatively, BleachBit on Ubuntu has better support for Snap application paths and can clean Firefox cache regardless of installation method.

Ubuntu Cleaner Shows No Old Kernels to Remove

If Ubuntu Cleaner does not list old kernels, your system may already be running the only installed kernel. Verify how many kernels are currently installed:

dpkg --list | grep linux-image

If only one kernel version appears in the output, there are no old kernels to remove. Ubuntu Cleaner correctly skips this category when no removable kernels exist. Old kernels accumulate after running sudo apt upgrade over several months, so this option becomes more relevant on systems that have received multiple kernel updates.

Alternatives to Ubuntu Cleaner on Ubuntu

If you need more advanced cleaning options or prefer a different tool, BleachBit on Ubuntu offers similar functionality with additional features. BleachBit is available in Ubuntu’s default repositories and does not require adding a PPA:

Feature	Ubuntu Cleaner	BleachBit
Installation source	PPA required	Default Ubuntu repositories
Snap Firefox cache	Not supported	Supported
Secure file deletion	No	Yes (overwrite free space)
Application-specific cleaning	Limited (browsers, APT)	Extensive (100+ applications)
Command-line mode	GUI only	GUI and CLI
Old kernel removal	Yes	Yes

For most users, Ubuntu Cleaner is sufficient for routine maintenance like clearing APT caches and removing old kernels. Choose BleachBit if you need Snap Firefox cache cleaning, secure file deletion, or cleaning support for a broader range of applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

With Ubuntu Cleaner installed on Ubuntu, old kernels, APT caches, and stale browser data are a few clicks from gone. The PPA keeps the package current through normal apt upgrade cycles, and the removal steps cover full cleanup if you move on. For Snap Firefox cache support or secure file deletion, BleachBit on Ubuntu fills the gaps.