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Asked: 2024-09-27T06:05:39+05:30 In:

How can I uninstall zsh from my Ubuntu 16.04 system?

I’ve been wrestling with my Ubuntu 16.04 setup for a bit, and I’m losing my patience with zsh. Don’t get me wrong, I know a lot of folks swear by it, but for some reason, it’s just not clicking for me. Maybe it’s the whole configuration thing or the fact that I can’t seem to get my prompt to look the way I want. Honestly, it’s starting to feel like zsh is more trouble than it’s worth, and I think it’s time to go back to good old bash.

Here’s where I need some help: how do I actually uninstall zsh from my system? I’ve been scouring forums and tutorials, but there’s so much info out there, and I’m worried about messing something up. I mean, I don’t want to accidentally break my terminal or anything. I read somewhere that you can use apt-get to remove packages, but I’m not super familiar with the command and would love a bit of a step-by-step.

Also, do I need to change my default shell back to bash after removing zsh, or will that happen automatically? I’ve heard that switching shells isn’t as straightforward as just uninstalling, and I really don’t want to end up in some weird terminal limbo where I can’t run commands anymore. Plus, if anyone has any tips on making sure I don’t leave behind any pesky leftover configuration files, that would be amazing.

I know it seems like such a small thing, but it’s really bothering me, and I’d appreciate any guidance you could give. I’m kind of a noob when it comes to stuff like this, so the more detailed the advice, the better. I just want my terminal back to the familiar bash that I’ve been using forever. If you’ve been through this and can spare a few minutes to share your experience, I’d be super grateful!

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    2 Answers

    1. Uninstalling zsh from your Ubuntu 16.04 setup is pretty straightforward, so no worries! I’ll walk you through the steps. Just follow these instructions, and you should be back to good old bash in no time.

      Step-by-Step Guide to Uninstall zsh:

      1. First, open your terminal. You can usually do this by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T.

      2. Before uninstalling zsh, let’s check if it’s installed. Type this command:

        which zsh

        If it returns a path (like /usr/bin/zsh), then it’s installed. If nothing shows up, it might not be installed anyway, so you can skip to changing your default shell.

      3. To uninstall zsh, run this command:

        sudo apt-get remove --purge zsh

        This command removes zsh and clears out its config files at the same time (the --purge part). You’ll be asked for your password. Just type it in (you won’t see it as you type, but it’s working) and hit Enter.

      4. Next, you can check for any leftover configuration files. Although we used --purge, it’s a good idea to clean up just in case. Run:

        sudo apt-get autoremove

        This cleans up any unnecessary packages that were installed with zsh.

      5. Now, you need to change your default shell back to bash. Run this command:

        chsh -s /bin/bash

        This command tells the system to use bash as your default shell. Note that you might need to log out and log back in for this change to take effect.

      What If You Can’t Log In?

      If you end up in a weird state where you can’t use the terminal at all, don’t panic. You can log in and type this command to change back to bash:

      chsh -s /bin/bash

      Then log out and log back in again.

      Double-checking Everything

      After everything, you can confirm your default shell by typing:

      echo $SHELL

      If it shows /bin/bash, you’re all set!

      That’s it! Your terminal should now be back to bash. If you have any other questions or run into troubles, feel free to ask!

    2. To uninstall zsh from your Ubuntu 16.04 system, you can use the following command in your terminal:

      sudo apt-get remove zsh

      This command will prompt you for your password, and after you enter it, the system will remove the zsh package. If you’d like to ensure that all configuration files associated with zsh are also removed, you can follow up with:

      sudo apt-get purge zsh

      Once the uninstallation is complete, you may want to verify that your default shell is set back to bash. To do this, use the following command:

      chsh -s /bin/bash

      After you run this command, you will need to log out and then log back in or restart your terminal for the changes to take effect. If you ever encounter issues with the terminal after switching back to bash, you can always reset it to the default settings or look into any remaining configuration files in your home directory, such as .zshrc. These files usually precede with a dot (.) which makes them hidden, so you may need to use ls -a to view them and delete them manually if needed. This should help ensure a clean transition back to the bash shell!

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