# How to uninstall Docker completely on Ubuntu and Debian

> Remove Docker completely from Ubuntu or Debian. Purge Docker CE, docker.io or the snap, delete data safely after a volume backup, clean up the repo and group.

Removing the Docker package is one command, but it leaves a lot behind: every image, container and volume, the apt repository, the `docker` group and sometimes a second copy of Docker installed another way. This guide removes all of it step by step on Ubuntu and Debian, so you end up with either a clean server or a clean base for a fresh install.

Commands use `sudo`. If you are logged in as root, leave it out.

## Step 1. Find out how Docker was installed

There are several ways Docker ends up on a server, and each one is removed differently. Check all of them, since more than one can be present at the same time:

```bash
dpkg -l | grep -Ei 'docker|containerd|runc'
snap list 2>/dev/null | grep -i docker
which -a docker docker-compose
```

How to read the result:

| You see | Installed from | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| `docker-ce`, `docker-ce-cli`, `containerd.io` | Docker's own apt repository (or the get.docker.com script) | Step 3 |
| `docker.io`, `containerd`, `runc`, `docker-compose-v2` | Ubuntu or Debian repositories | Step 4 |
| `docker` in `snap list` | Snap Store (offered in the Ubuntu Server installer) | Step 5 |
| `/usr/local/bin/docker-compose` | Old Compose v1 binary downloaded by hand | Step 6 |

## Step 2. Back up anything you want to keep

> **Deleting Docker data cannot be undone.** Step 7 deletes `/var/lib/docker` and `/var/lib/containerd`. That removes every image, every container and **every named volume**, which is where databases and uploaded files usually live. There is no recycle bin. Make a copy first, or take a snapshot of the whole server as described in [how to back up your VPS](https://datapasa.com/wiki/server-management/back-up-your-vps).

Bind mounts (folders like `./data` next to a `compose.yaml`) live outside `/var/lib/docker` and survive the uninstall. Named volumes do not. List them:

```bash
sudo docker volume ls
```

Stop your containers so files are not changing while you copy them. For a Compose project, run `sudo docker compose down` in its folder (without `-v`, which would delete the volumes). Then pack each volume you need into an archive with a throwaway container:

```bash
mkdir -p ~/docker-backup
sudo docker run --rm -v VOLUME_NAME:/source:ro -v ~/docker-backup:/backup alpine \
  tar czf /backup/VOLUME_NAME.tar.gz -C /source .
```

Replace `VOLUME_NAME` with the name from the list, in both places. Repeat for each volume. For databases, a dump made with the database's own tool (`pg_dump`, `mysqldump`) is safer than a copy of its files, so make one while the container is still running.

Also save the files you used to create the containers: `compose.yaml`, `.env` files and `/etc/docker/daemon.json` if you changed it. Copy the archives off the server, for example with `scp`, before you continue.

## Step 3. Remove Docker CE packages

This covers Docker installed from `download.docker.com`, including installs done with the convenience script. `purge` removes the packages along with their package configuration:

```bash
sudo apt purge docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin docker-ce-rootless-extras
sudo apt autoremove
```

If apt says some of these packages are not installed, that is fine. Apt skips them.

## Step 4. Remove the docker.io package

If Docker came from Ubuntu's or Debian's own repositories, the package names are different:

```bash
sudo apt purge $(dpkg --get-selections docker.io docker-compose docker-compose-v2 docker-doc docker-buildx podman-docker containerd runc | cut -f1)
sudo apt autoremove
```

The `dpkg --get-selections` part expands to the packages from the list that are actually installed, so the command works on both systems even though `docker-compose-v2` only exists on Ubuntu.

## Step 5. Remove the Docker snap

During Ubuntu Server installation it is easy to tick Docker in the list of featured snaps. That version lives completely separately from the apt packages and keeps its data under `/var/snap/docker`. Remove it, data included:

```bash
sudo snap remove --purge docker
```

`--purge` skips the automatic snapshot that snapd normally keeps after a removal, so make your backup first.

## Step 6. Remove the old docker-compose v1 binary

Older guides installed Compose v1 as a single file downloaded with `curl`. It is not managed by apt, so purging packages leaves it in place. Find it:

```bash
which -a docker-compose
```

Delete each path it prints that is not owned by a package (you can check with `dpkg -S /path/to/file`). The usual place is:

```bash
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
```

If it was installed with `pip`, remove it with `pip uninstall docker-compose` in the same environment it was installed in. A manually installed Compose v2 plugin may also sit in `/usr/local/lib/docker/cli-plugins/` or `~/.docker/cli-plugins/`. Delete it from there.

## Step 7. Delete images, containers and volumes

With your backup done, remove Docker's data folders:

```bash
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/docker
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/containerd
```

Then remove configuration that packages do not delete on their own: the daemon settings and each user's client config folder.

```bash
sudo rm -rf /etc/docker
rm -rf ~/.docker
```

Run the last command as every user who used Docker, or remove `/home/USER/.docker` for each of them. If you set up Docker in rootless mode, that user's data is in `~/.local/share/docker`, which you can delete as well.

## Step 8. Remove the apt repository and key

Current installation guides use these two files:

```bash
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.sources
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
```

Servers set up with older instructions may have a one line `docker.list` and a key in a different place. Remove those too if they exist:

```bash
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg
sudo apt update
```

`apt update` should finish without any line mentioning `download.docker.com`. If one still appears, search for leftovers with `grep -rl download.docker.com /etc/apt/`.

## Step 9. Remove the docker group

The group that allowed running `docker` without sudo usually survives the uninstall. Delete it:

```bash
sudo groupdel docker
```

If you get `group 'docker' does not exist`, it is already gone.

## Step 10. Check that nothing is left

Run these checks. Each one should come back empty or report that nothing was found:

```bash
which docker docker-compose dockerd containerd
dpkg -l | grep -Ei 'docker|containerd'
snap list 2>/dev/null | grep -i docker
systemctl list-unit-files | grep -Ei 'docker|containerd'
getent group docker
ls /var/lib/docker /var/lib/containerd
```

Docker also creates a network interface called `docker0`, plus a `br-` interface for every Compose network. They usually stay until the next reboot:

```bash
ip link show | grep -E 'docker0|br-|veth'
```

If they still show up, reboot the server. That also clears the firewall rules Docker created at runtime, because they live only in memory. After the reboot `ip link` should show only your normal interfaces, such as `lo` and `eth0` or `ens3`.

## Reinstall Docker cleanly

A clean reinstall is the main reason people do all of the above. Once the checks pass, follow the guide for your system:

- [Install Docker on Ubuntu](https://datapasa.com/wiki/server-management/install-docker-on-ubuntu)
- [Install Docker on Debian](https://datapasa.com/wiki/server-management/install-docker-on-debian)

After installing, restore a volume by creating it and unpacking the archive into it:

```bash
docker volume create VOLUME_NAME
docker run --rm -v VOLUME_NAME:/target -v ~/docker-backup:/backup alpine \
  tar xzf /backup/VOLUME_NAME.tar.gz -C /target
```

Do this before starting the Compose project that uses the volume. If the project declares the volume under a project prefix (for example `myapp_db-data`), use that exact name.

If you only wanted to reset Docker and not remove it, a fresh server can be quicker. On DataPasa you pay by the hour from a prepaid balance, so you can create a new VPS, set it up, move your data and delete the old one without paying for a full month twice. Plans are on the [pricing page](https://datapasa.com/en/pricing).

## FAQ

**Does `apt remove docker-ce` delete my containers?**
No. Neither `remove` nor `purge` touches `/var/lib/docker`. Images, containers and volumes stay on disk until you delete that folder yourself.

**Why does `docker` still work after I purged the packages?**
A second copy is installed, usually the snap or a `docker.io` package. Run `which -a docker` to see where it lives and remove it with the matching step above.

**How much disk space will I get back?**
Run `sudo du -sh /var/lib/docker /var/lib/containerd` before deleting them to find out. If you only need space and want to keep Docker, `docker system df` and `docker system prune` are the gentler route.

**Is it safe to delete /var/lib/containerd if I do not use containerd directly?**
Yes, when Docker is the only thing on the server using containerd. If you also run Kubernetes or another tool on top of containerd, leave it alone.