How to remove all i386 architecture packages from 64-bit linux mint (and ubuntu too)

[ilAli]

If you added (or already there are) foreign architecture i386 (32-bit) to your 64-bit installation. Here is how to remove them all:

1- Show what foreign architectures are installed: dpkg --print-foreign-architectures

• It might show: i386

• You might want to find out which i386 packages you might have installed: dpkg -l | grep ':i386'

2- Remove all i386 packages: apt-get purge ".*:i386"

• The purge keyword (instead of remove) removes all configuration files associated with the packages you're uninstalling.

3- Now you can remove the i386 architecture: dpkg --remove-architecture i386

Warning: some apps and software may need i386 packages so removing them may cause problems in your system.

[xenopeek]

Such packages are normally installed because some program you installed requires them. For example if you install wine-installer, to be able to run Windows software on Linux Mint, it requires 32-bit versions of common libraries as most Windows software is 32-bit.

Uninstalling 32-bit packages will also make the package remove remove the program that requires them. Probably an unintended consequence. Can you please add a warning at point 2, to carefully read through what apt-get says it will do before agreeing to it and making sure not will be removed you want to keep.

And considering that, could you detail under which circumstances removing 32-bit packages would be useful?

[ilAli]

Such packages are normally installed because some program you installed requires them. For example if you install wine-installer, to be able to run Windows software on Linux Mint, it requires 32-bit versions of common libraries as most Windows software is 32-bit.
Uninstalling 32-bit packages will also make the package remove remove the program that requires them. Probably an unintended consequence. Can you please add a warning at point 2, to carefully read through what apt-get says it will do before agreeing to it and making sure not will be removed you want to keep.
And considering that, could you detail under which circumstances removing 32-bit packages would be useful?

Hi xenopeek and thank you for your reply.
first of all, i was looking for some ways to make my linux mint more lean and nimble. so i found this information and decided to share it with linux mint users.
sure, there is a reason behind existing every package and usually every linux user even amateur ones should know it. (if they do not know this, let them remove some necessary packages to learn it! )
and, now a days we cannot say "most Windows software is 32-bit", not at all.
anyway, your suggestion is welcomed and i will add disclaimer to the post.

[gittiest personITW]

Probably as a 'fun project for a rainy day' if there is absolutely nothing left to watch or read and you have a Timeshift backup and a cloned image and backups etc.
If you think about it though - any files that aren't being used (but might be needed for as yet uninstalled software) are only taking up disk space, not resources as such. If they are being used, then they can be considered to be important.

I definitely wouldn't think it's a good idea that anyone do that on their daily workhorse though.