How to Remove (Delete) a User on Ubuntu 15.04

Posted on by J. Mays | Updated:
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Users via Command Line 101: Basic User Interaction
I. How to Add a User and Grant Root Privileges on Ubuntu 15.04
II. How to Remove (Delete) a User on Ubuntu 15.04

Pre-Flight Check

  • These instructions are intended specifically for removing a user on Ubuntu 15.04.
  • I’ll be working from a Liquid Web Self Managed Ubuntu 15.04 server, and I’ll be logged in as root.

Step 1: Delete the User

It’s just one simple command to add a user. In this case, we’re adding a user called mynewuser:

userdel mynewuser

If you want to remove all of the files for the user, then use -r:

userdel -r mynewuser

Step 2: Remove Root Privileges to the User

visudo

Find the following code:

## Allow root to run any commands anywhere
root ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL
mynewuser ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

In this case, we’re removing root privileges from the user mynewuser. Remove the following:

mynewuser ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

Then exit and save the file with the key commands Ctrl-x, Y, enter.

Avatar for J. Mays

About the Author: J. Mays

As a previous contributor, JMays shares his insight with our Knowledge Base center. In our Knowledge Base, you'll be able to find how-to articles on Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora and much more!

Latest Articles

Blocking IP or whitelisting IP addresses with UFW

Read Article

CentOS Linux 7 end of life migrations

Read Article

Use ChatGPT to diagnose and resolve server issues

Read Article

What is SDDC VMware?

Read Article

Best authentication practices for email senders

Read Article