Remove or delete a Linux user

You can remove old users from your Linux server. This will revoke the user's SSH access, and remove that user's file and directory ownership. To delete a user in Linux, follow these steps.

Note: This procedure should work for all Linux distribution types - Ubuntu, CentOS, and so on.

1. Log in to your server via SSH.
2. Switch to the root user:
   
   sudo su -
3. Use the userdel command to remove the old user:
   
   userdel user's username
4. Optional: You can also delete that user's home directory and mail spool by using the -r flag with the command:
   
   userdel -r user's username
   Warning: Only delete a user's home directory if you are certain you no longer need their files or mail.

Next step

• For more detailed information about the userdel command, view the man page by typing man userdel into your SSH window.