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userdel — Remove a user account

Linux / User and Security Management / userdel.html

User and Security ManagementOriginalRegistered 2026-10-20T09:00:00+09:00

Removes a user account and, with -r, its home directory and mail spool.

Basic Information

Command Nameuserdel
One-line IntroductionRemoves a user account and, with -r, its home directory and mail spool.
Provided byshadow-utils (passwd on some distributions)
Official Documentationhttps://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/userdel.8.html
Supported Operating SystemsLinux
Installation StatusInstalled by default
CategoryLinux security and accounts (tags: Accounts, permissions and audit (tags: userdel, account, delete, user))

What is this command?

userdel removes account records from /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow and /etc/group. By default the home directory and mail spool remain, so use -r when the data should go too.

Files created by the account keep their numeric owner UID. If that UID is later reused, the old files become accessible to the new user, so reassign or remove them before deletion.

What problems does it solve?

  • Removing accounts of departed staff or temporary test users
  • Deleting a mistaken account together with its home directory
  • Reassigning owned files before removal
  • Reducing unnecessary login accounts for audit

Key features

Removing account entries

Deletes the entries from passwd, shadow and group.

  • When to use: Cleaning up accounts that no longer need access
  • What you get: The name and UID disappear from the system.
  • Limitations: A user who is logged in cannot be removed.

Removing the home directory

The -r flag also deletes the home directory and mail spool.

  • When to use: When personal data must not remain
  • What you get: Space is reclaimed and leftovers are reduced.
  • Limitations: It is irreversible, so back up first.

Pre-checks

Check owned files and running processes first.

  • When to use: Understanding impact before removing a service account
  • What you get: Prevents permission issues and outages.
  • Limitations: Skipping checks leaves orphan files and broken services.

Installation and usage

Check whether it is installed

userdel --help

sudo apt install passwd # Debian/Ubuntu sudo dnf install shadow-utils # Fedora

Real-world examples

Remove the account only

Remove the record while keeping the home directory.

sudo userdel olduser

Remove home as well

Delete the home directory and mail spool together.

sudo userdel -r olduser

Check owned files first

Find remaining files and decide whether to migrate them.

sudo find / -uid 1002 -ls 2>/dev/null | head