How to fix stuck snap package in Ubuntu 24.04? `error: snap "chromium" has "remove-snap" change in progress`
https://askubuntu.com/questions/1560523/how-to-fix-stuck-snap-package-in-ubuntu-24-04-error-snap-chromium-has-remo
I want to reinstall Chromium for reasons I no longer recall. Two weeks ago, I tried and it completely broke, only outputting error: snap "chromium" has "remove-snap" change in progress. I have not been able to resolve since. I am running Ubuntu 24.04.
Short of reinstalling the entire operating system from scratch for one single application - which I already had to do once because for some incomprehensible reason, uninstalling Thunderbird bricks the entire system upon the next boot - is there a way to fix this?
This error is reproduced by:
sudo snap remove chromium or
sudo snap remove --purge chromium
I have tried:
- Turning it [the PC] off and turning it on again, at least 20 times incidentally
snap abort ID (which does absolutely nothing)
snap enable chromium
snap refresh && snap abort ID
- Uninstalling through the Ubuntu Software window
sudo rm /var/cache/fontconfig/*
rm ~/.cache/fontconfig/*
sudo fc-cache -r -v
rm -rf ~/snap/chromium/common/.cache/fontconfig/
- setting system clock 1 year ahead
sudo snap revert chromium && sudo snap refresh chromium && sudo snap remove chromium
Here is the feedback I get from various commands, much of it contradictory:
snap changes outputs 11 Undo 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST - Remove "chromium" snap
snap list outputs chromium 142.0.7444.162 3307 latest/stable canonical✓ disabled
chromium-browser outputs Command '/usr/bin/chromium-browser' requires the chromium snap to be installed. Please install it with: snap install chromium
snap install chromium outputs snap "chromium" is already installed, see 'snap help refresh'
sudo snap revert chromium outputs error: cannot revert "chromium": no revision to revert to
sudo snap refresh chromium outputs error: cannot refresh "chromium": refreshing disabled snap "chromium" not supported
Lastly, snap list 11 outputs:
Status Spawn Ready Summary
Undo 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Stop snap "chromium" services
Undo 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Run remove hook of "chromium" snap if present
Done 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST today at 09:39 CST Disconnect interfaces of snap "chromium"
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Save data of snap "chromium" in automatic snapshot set #1
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Remove aliases for snap "chromium"
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Make snap "chromium" unavailable to the system
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Remove security profile for snap "chromium" (3307)
Done 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST today at 09:39 CST Remove data for snap "chromium" (3293)
Done 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST today at 09:39 CST Remove snap "chromium" (3293) from the system
Error 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Remove data for snap "chromium" (3307)
Hold 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Remove snap "chromium" (3307) from the system
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:opengl from snapd:opengl
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:home from snapd:home
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:42 CST Disconnect chromium:browser-sandbox from snapd:browser-support
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:42 CST Disconnect chromium:camera from snapd:camera
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:desktop-legacy from snapd:desktop-legacy
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:gtk-3-themes from gtk-common-themes:gtk-3-themes
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:hardware-observe from snapd:hardware-observe
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:upower-observe from snapd:upower-observe
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:audio-record from snapd:audio-record
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:dot-local-share-applications from snapd:personal-files
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:network-bind from snapd:network-bind
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:gsettings from snapd:gsettings
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:joystick from snapd:joystick
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:removable-media from snapd:removable-media
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:audio-playback from snapd:audio-playback
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:42 CST Disconnect chromium:bluez from snapd:bluez
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:unity7 from snapd:unity7
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:wayland from snapd:wayland
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:chromium-config from snapd:personal-files
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:icon-themes from gtk-common-themes:icon-themes
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:dot-local-share-icons from snapd:personal-files
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:cups from cups:cups
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:u2f-devices from snapd:u2f-devices
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:42 CST Disconnect chromium:system-packages-doc from snapd:system-packages-doc
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:42 CST Disconnect chromium:sound-themes from gtk-common-themes:sound-themes
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:screen-inhibit-control from snapd:screen-inhibit-control
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:42 CST Disconnect chromium:x11 from snapd:x11
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:desktop from snapd:desktop
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST Disconnect chromium:network from snapd:network
Undone 14 days ago, at 12:41 CST 14 days ago, at 12:42 CST Disconnect chromium:etc-chromium-browser-policies from snapd:system-files
......................................................................
Make snap "chromium" unavailable to the system
2025-11-21T12:41:50-06:00 INFO cannot link snap "chromium" back, some of its data has already been removed
......................................................................
Remove data for snap "chromium" (3307)
2025-11-21T12:41:50-06:00 ERROR failed to remove snap "chromium" base directory: remove /home/sean/snap/chromium: directory not empty