How to Clean System Junk Files in Debian 12 Bookworm

As you use your Debian 12 Bookworm system over time, temporary and unnecessary files accumulate, consuming disk space and potentially affecting system performance. These files include cache, logs, old package files, and orphaned dependencies. Regularly cleaning your system ensures optimal performance and efficiency.

This guide will walk you through various methods to clean junk files from your Debian 12 system.

1. Cleaning APT Cache

The APT package manager stores downloaded packages and metadata in its cache, which can take up considerable space over time. To clean it:

Check APT Cache Size

Run the following command to see the current cache size:

sudo du -sh /var/cache/apt

Clean the APT Cache

To remove unnecessary package files:

sudo apt clean

For a more thorough cleanup, including obsolete package files:

sudo apt autoclean

Remove Unused Dependencies

To eliminate dependencies that are no longer needed:

sudo apt autoremove

2. Removing Unused Packages

Over time, some installed packages become redundant or unused. Identify and remove them with:

sudo deborphan

To remove unnecessary libraries:

sudo apt-get remove --purge $(deborphan)

3. Cleaning System Logs

System logs stored in /var/log/ can consume large amounts of disk space. To check their size:

du -sh /var/log/*

To safely delete old log files:

sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=7d

This keeps only the logs from the last seven days.

To remove archived logs:

sudo rm -rf /var/log/*.gz /var/log/*.1 /var/log/*.old

4. Clearing the Temporary Files

Temporary files are stored in /tmp and /var/tmp directories.

To remove them:

sudo rm -rf /tmp/* /var/tmp/*

To automatically clean them at every reboot, enable tmpfs:

echo 'tmpfs /tmp tmpfs defaults,noatime,nosuid,nodev,mode=1777 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

5. Removing Old Kernel Versions

Debian keeps old kernel versions, which can take up disk space. To list installed kernels:

dpkg --list | grep linux-image

To remove old kernels (except the current one):

sudo apt-get remove --purge linux-image-X.X.X-X-amd64

Replace X.X.X-X with the old kernel version.

6. Cleaning User Cache

Each user has a cache stored in ~/.cache. To check its size:

du -sh ~/.cache

To clean it:

rm -rf ~/.cache/*

7. Using bleachbit for GUI-Based Cleaning

For a graphical cleaning tool, install BleachBit:

sudo apt install bleachbit

Run it with:

bleachbit

It allows you to clean cache, logs, and temporary files safely.

Conclusion

Regularly cleaning junk files in Debian 12 improves performance and frees up disk space. Use the above methods to keep your system optimized. For automated maintenance, consider setting up cron jobs for periodic cleanups.

By following this guide, you ensure your Debian system remains clean and efficient.