Ubuntu is updated often. If you keep up with the updates, you will start to use up space on your hard drive over time. Update Manager must download the updated packages into the local repository before installing them. These package files take up space on your hard drive and will continue to grow if they are not deleted.
You can delete downloaded update packages manually from the /var/cache/apt/archives folder.
However, there is a way to delete downloaded update packages automatically after they are installed. To do this, select Administration | Synaptic Package Manager from the System menu.
On the Synaptic Package Manager dialog box, select Preferences from the Settings menu.
On the Preferences dialog box, click the Files tab. In the Temporary Files section, select the Delete downloaded packages after installation radio button.
Earlier in this post, we mentioned that you can manually delete downloaded update packages from the /var/cache/apt/archives folder. You can also delete these package files from the Preferences dialog box. To do this, click the Delete Cached Package Files button. This will free up space on your hard drive.
Click OK to close the Preferences dialog box.
To close the Synaptic Package Manager, select Quit from the File menu.
The next time you update Ubuntu through the Update Manager, the downloaded packages will be removed automatically.
by Lori Kaufman
MOST COMMENTED
Fix “Windows was unable to find a certificate to log you on to the network”
Share a Printer from XP to Windows 7
99 ways to Make Your Computer Blazingly Fast
Windows 7 File Search Indexing Options