Linux Mint to Automatically Remove Old Kernel Versions: What You Need to Know

Linux Mint has introduced significant changes to its kernel management system by implementing an automatic cleanup process for old kernel versions. This overhaul will operate within the System Administration tool instead of the previous Update Manager, with adjustments made for both the standard and LMDE editions of Linux Mint.

Under the new system, users can choose which kernel series to track and decide how many older kernels to keep alongside the current version. This means that while the active kernel remains untouched, obsolete kernels will be deleted automatically on a weekly basis, enhancing system performance and freeing up storage space.

Users will still receive updates for tracked kernels as usual via the Update Manager. In addition, a manual ‘Clean up’ button will allow immediate space recovery if desired, and a History option will display details about removed kernels.

To ensure users have control over the processes, specific kernels can be marked as ‘Protected’, meaning they won’t be deleted automatically, regardless of any cleanup settings. If a user installs a kernel from a different series (such as OEM or Real Time), they’ll have the chance to track it along with any necessary meta-packages for future updates.

For users who install custom kernels from sources like PPAs or .deb files, they can mark those as "tracked," although they must take responsibility for manually updating those kernels since they won’t receive automatic updates.

Overall, this initiative aims to streamline kernel management and mitigate the accumulation of redundant versions, which can potentially consume significant disk space. It remains to be seen if current users of Linux Mint 22.3 and LMDE will receive these updates as part of a software patch or if it will be reserved for the upcoming Linux Mint 23 release expected later this year.

For further details, visit the official Linux Mint blog.