Kernel/Removal

This article describes the removal of old kernels.

Removing kernel sources
After a new kernel is installed and if it works satisfactorily, the old kernel can be removed. To remove the old kernel sources, emerge's --depclean option (short form -c) can be used to remove all old or unused versions of a slotted package, e.g. for.

Be sure to verify that it is not removing the sources for the currently running kernel. (See this article on how to upgrade.)

Remove kernel leftovers
Portage however only removes only the files it installed - the files generated during the kernel build and installation remain. They can be safely removed.


 * When a kernel is built in the source folder, files generated during the build process remain, and are not removed by Portage:


 * During kernel setup, the kernel modules are copied to a sub folder of /lib/modules/:


 * The old files in /boot can also be removed:


 * Lastly, remove all leftover entries from your bootloader's config file.