Linux - Uninstalling the PIA App through the Terminal

In some cases, you may not be able to uninstall the Private Internet Access (PIA) app with the in-app uninstaller. If this happens, you can remove the app manually through Terminal.

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Step 1: Disconnect and exit the PIA app

Step 2: Open Terminal

Step 3: Enter the Terminal Commands

Step 4: Remove the Application Menu Icon

Step 1: Disconnect and Exit the PIA App

  1. Disconnect from the VPN. You can do this by right-clicking the PIA icon in the system tray and selecting Disconnect, or by clicking the Power button in the app.
PIA app showing the power button highlighted.
  1. Quit the PIA app. You can do this by right-clicking the PIA icon in the system tray and selecting Quit, or by selecting the three vertical dots (⋮) in the app and selecting Quit.
PIA app showing the three-dot icon and the "Quit" option highlighted.

Step 2: Open the Terminal

  1. Open Terminal or Konsole from your applications menu. You can also press Ctrl + Alt + T to open Terminal on many Linux distributions.

Step 3: Enter the Terminal Commands

Important: Enter these commands carefully. Incorrect spacing or symbols may delete the wrong files and cause data loss. We recommend copying (Shift + Ctrl + C) and pasting (Shift + Ctrl + V) each command.

  1. Run the following commands, pressing Enter after each one:
rm -rf ~/.config/privateinternetaccess 
rm -rf ~/.config/PrivateInternetAccess
  1. Next, run this command:
sudo rm -rf /opt/piavpn
  1. If prompted, enter your root or admin password, then press Enter.

Step 4: Remove the Application Menu Icon

  1. Run this final command to remove the PIA app icon from your applications menu:
sudo rm -f /usr/share/applications/piavpn.desktop
  1. After the command finishes, the PIA app is uninstalled. If you want to reinstall the PIA app, go to the PIA Downloads page and download a fresh copy.

If you have questions or concerns, contact customer support.

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