How to Remove Nvidia Drivers on Ubuntu: A Simple Guide

If you’ve these days mounted Nvidia drivers for your Ubuntu device but are actually experiencing problems, or if you surely need to interchange and return to the default open-source Nouveau drivers, you’ll be wondering how to remove Nvidia drivers on Ubuntu. Don’t fear—it’s an honest system! Whether you are troubleshooting, updating drivers, or switching to a one-of-a-kind model, this guide will walk you through the steps to safely and efficaciously take away Nvidia drivers from your Ubuntu gadget.

Why You Might Want to Remove Nvidia Drivers on Ubuntu?

There are numerous reasons why you would possibly need to take away Nvidia drivers on Ubuntu:

How to Remove Nvidia Drivers on Ubuntu
  1. Performance Issues: Sometimes, Nvidia drivers can cause overall performance problems, which include graphical system faults, slowdowns, or machine instability. If you are aware of those issues, rolling again or disposing of the drivers may help.
  2. Driver Compatibility: If you’ve mounted a driving force that doesn’t play nicely with your system, you would possibly need to uninstall it and transfer to a more solid version or even revert to the default Nouveau drivers (which can be open-source).
  3. Switching to Nouveau Drivers: Nvidia’s proprietary drivers can provide higher performance in some instances, but in case you select open-source drivers, you may need to remove Nvidia drivers and switch to the Nouveau drivers.
  4. Upgrading Drivers: If you’re upgrading your Nvidia drivers to a more modern version, it’s every so often necessary to put off the old ones first to keep away from conflicts or mistakes.

Whatever your cause, removing Nvidia drivers from Ubuntu is an easy project if you follow the proper steps.

Read More: How to Rollback Nvidia Drivers: A Simple Guide

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Remove Nvidia Drivers on Ubuntu

There are distinctive methods to remove Nvidia drivers on Ubuntu, depending on how they had been set up. Below, we’ll stroll you through the most common methods.

Method 1: Removing Nvidia Drivers Using the Terminal

One of the most straightforward ways to eliminate Nvidia drivers on Ubuntu is through the terminal. Here’s how you could do it:

1. Open the Terminal:

  • Press Ctrl + Alt + T to open the terminal, or look for “Terminal” inside the applications menu.

2. Stop the Nvidia Display Manager: Before disposing of the drivers, prevent the graphical server that is running the Nvidia driver:

sudo service lightdm stop

Alternatively, in case you’re using a distinct show supervisor like GDM or SDDM, you may stop them by means of going for walks:

sudo service gdm stop

or

sudo service sddm stop

3. Remove Nvidia Drivers: To get rid of the Nvidia driver package deal out of your gadget, type the following command:

sudo apt-get purge nvidia-*

This command will uninstall all Nvidia-related programs from your machine.

4. Remove Nvidia PPA (Optional): If you installed Nvidia drivers from a Personal Package Archive (PPA), it’s a good idea to do away with the PPA as well. Run the following command to achieve this:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa

5. Reinstall the Nouveau Driver (Optional): If you need to revert to the open-source Nouveau drivers, which can be the default graphics drivers in Ubuntu, run:

sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-video-nouveau

6. Reboot the System: After doing away with the Nvidia drivers, reboot your system:

sudo reboot

Your gadget should now be the use of either the Nouveau drivers or no drivers if you choose no longer to put in them.

Method 2: Removing Nvidia Drivers Using Ubuntu Software

If you pick not to use the terminal, you may also put off Nvidia drivers the usage of Ubuntu Software. Here’s how:

  • Open Ubuntu Software: Search for Ubuntu Software within the packages menu and open it.
  • Search for Nvidia Drivers: In the quest bar, kind “Nvidia” to locate the Nvidia drivers established to your device.
  • Remove the Drivers: Click at the Nvidia driving force package deal, and also you should see an option to take away it. Simply click on the “Remove” button.
  • Reboot Your System: After putting off the drivers, restart your laptop to use the changes.

Method 3: Using the “Additional Drivers” Tool

Ubuntu has a built-in device that allows you to manage and remove proprietary drivers like Nvidia. How to use it here:

1. Open “Extra Driver” equipment:

  • Open the application menu, find software and updates, and click on it.
  • Navigate on the extra driver tab.

2. Remove Nvidia Driver:

  • On the list of available drivers, see Nvidia owners listed. Select the option that “X.org X Server-Nouveau uses the Performance Driver to switch back to standard Nouveau drivers from Xseerver-Xorg-Vidio-Nouveau (Open Source).”.
  • If you see a box of “Nvidia Driver (version number),” click to install.

3. Apply changes:

  • Once you have selected the Nouveau driver, click Use Changes to uninstall Nvidia drivers.

4. Restart:

  • Return your system to complete the removal of Nvidia drivers.

What If I Want to Reinstall Nvidia Drivers?

If you have removed Nvidia drivers but later decided to restore them, you can easily do so. This way:

1. Use the “Additioner” tool: As mentioned earlier, you can go to the software, update the tools, and select an owner of the NVIDIA driver to install it.

2. Install the driver using the terminal:

  • Open the terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T).
  • Update your package list:
sudo apt update
  • Install the NVIDIA driver:
sudo apt install nvidia-driver-<version-number>
  • Change <version numbers> with the required driver version of you.

3. Restart the system: When the driver installation is completed, restart your computer.

How to Remove Nvidia Drivers on Ubuntu

Conclusion

Knowing a way to put off Nvidia drivers on Ubuntu is a beneficial skill, mainly if you run into troubles with your system’s performance or compatibility. Whether you’re troubleshooting issues, upgrading drivers, or switching to the open-source Nouveau drivers, the procedure is straightforward and can be finished via the terminal, Ubuntu Software, or the Additional Drivers tool. Follow the steps in this guide, and you’ll have your machine strolling smoothly in no time!

Read Also: Should you Update NVIDIA Studio Driver resolume

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How do I know if Nvidia drivers are installed on my system?

You can take a look at if Nvidia drivers are mounted by means of jogging the subsequent command inside the terminal:

nvidia-smi

If the drivers are set up, this command will show information approximately about your Nvidia GPU. If no longer, it’ll display a mistake message.

2. What happens if I remove Nvidia drivers?

If you dispose of Nvidia drivers, your device will either revert to the use of the open-source Nouveau drivers (if hooked up) or fall back to using primary pics functionality. If you’re using a PC or device with included photographs, your laptop will use the ones as an alternative.

3. Can I reinstall Nvidia drivers after removing them?

Yes, you can reinstall Nvidia drivers at any time. You can either use the Additional Drivers tool or install them manually through the terminal by running the appropriate commands.

4. Is it safe to remove Nvidia drivers?

Yes, it is commonly secure to put off Nvidia drivers from Ubuntu. However, in case you rely on Nvidia’s proprietary drivers for specific performance or functions, you need to make certain to switch to the Nouveau drivers or install a brand new Nvidia driver before rebooting.

5. Why do I need to remove Nvidia drivers?

You may want to get rid of Nvidia drivers if they are inflicting overall performance issues, display problems, or device instability. You may also want to replace it with the open-source Nouveau drivers for a greater strong enjoyment.

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