How to identify the method by which a Linux application was installed
Sometimes you do not install apps via the software manager or remember off hand how you did install a specific app. This article shows a few different ways to remove unwanted software when you are not sure of the installation method. Done on a linux mint (ubuntu) system.
How to identify the method by which a Linux application was installed 08132025
Option A: Check and see if it was installed via APT
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dpkg \-l | grep \-i phoenix
If you see something like:
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`ii phoenix-code 1.2.3 all Some description here`
…then it was installed via APT, and you can uninstall it with:
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`sudo apt remove --purge phoenix-code`
Option B: Check if it was installed as a Flatpak
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flatpak list | grep \-i phoenix
If it appears here, uninstall with:
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`flatpak uninstall <app-id>`
To list all details, you can run:
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`flatpak list --app`
Option C: Check if it was installed as a Snap (unlikely on Mint unless Snap was re-enabled)
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snap list | grep \-i phoenix
If it shows up:
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sudo snap remove \<package-name\>
Option D: Check if it’s just an AppImage or a manually extracted binary
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ls \~/Downloads
ls \~/Applications
ls \~/.local/share/applications/
Example output: I was looking for Phoenix code
PhoenixCode.desktop
Then a FIND command like this:
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find \~ \-type d \-iname "\*phoenix\*" 2\>/dev/null
Output:
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/home/mark/Documents/Phoenix Code
/home/mark/.phoenix-code
/home/mark/.phoenix-code/src-node/www/phoenix-splash
/home/mark/.local/share/phoenix-code.app
Step 1: Remove the Menu Entry (if you haven’t yet)
You already found the shortcut file:
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`~/.local/share/applications/PhoenixCode.desktop`
To delete it:
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`rm ~/.local/share/applications/PhoenixCode.desktop`
That removes it from your app menu.
OR JUST GO TO THE MENU AND RIGHT CLICK - UNINSTALL
✅ Step 2: Delete the App Itself
Now, delete the actual app and its files.
You can do this in three separate commands (each one deletes one folder):
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`rm -rf ~/Documents/Phoenix\ Code`
`rm -rf ~/.phoenix-code`
`rm -rf ~/.local/share/phoenix-code.app`
Note: The \ in Phoenix\ Code escapes the space in the folder name
Step 3 (Optional): Double-check It’s Gone
You can check again if anything related is still hanging around:
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`find ~ -iname "*phoenix*" 2>/dev/null`
Delete anything you find - and be careful it IS for the app you want to remove.