Why Disable the Snap Store Background Process?
In modern versions of Ubuntu Linux, Canonical uses the “Snap” packaging format extensively. A consequence of this is the snap-store background process. This process quietly runs in the background, consuming RAM and occasional CPU cycles even when you have no intention of using the graphical software centre to install applications.
If you prefer to install packages purely via the terminal (using apt or command-line snap commands) and want to free up system resources, you can safely disable this background daemon.
How to Stop the Snap Store Daemon in Ubuntu
You cannot simply uninstall the snap-store without breaking dependencies for the graphical desktop, but you can stop the process from launching automatically.
- Open your Ubuntu Terminal (shortcut:
Ctrl + Alt + T). - First, find out the exact name of the running snap-store process by running:
snap list | grep snap-store- Next, force the running process to stop immediately by executing:
killall snap-store- Now, you need to remove the autostart entry so it doesn’t return on your next reboot. Navigate to the global autostart directory:
cd /etc/xdg/autostart/- Look for a file named
snap-store.desktopor similar. Once identified, you can disable it by either deleting it (requires sudo) or simply moving it out of the autostart folder:
sudo mv snap-store.desktop ~/snap-store-backup.desktopAlternative Method for Individual Users:
If you only want to disable it for your own user account rather than globally, you can copy the desktop file to your local configuration directory and append a hidden flag:
- Copy the file:
cp /etc/xdg/autostart/snap-store.desktop ~/.config/autostart/- Append the Hidden attribute:
echo "Hidden=true" >> ~/.config/autostart/snap-store.desktopBy following these steps, the graphical Snap Store will no longer silently consume RAM in the background, leaving more resources available for your active applications.