Can't uninstall LibreOffice

[pdev]

Hi,
I had previously installed LibreOffice 7.3 and recently installed 7.4 by downloading the app from libreoffice.org. However, as I had both versions showing up in the Applications Menu and the icon I'd set up in the Panel randomly opened 7.3 instead of 7.4, I decided to delete them both and do a clean install of 7.4.
My problem is that I can't uninstall 7.3.
I started by using "sudo apt-get remove --purge libreoffice*" and this seemed to work. However, when I go into the Applications Menu, both 7.3 and 7.4 have disappeared but it still lists LibreOffice (without a version number) and the various sub apps (Writer, Calc, etc.). If I open these, version 7.3 opens.
How can I remove this from my system?
Synaptic doesn't help. If I search for LibreOffice it shows version 7.0 and it won't let me delete it. I tried the 'which' command to find the path to the executable files, nothing happens.
I just don't know what to try next and any help would be greatly appreciated.

(I'm using the latest version of MXLinux on an old MacBook.)

[Huckleberry Finn]

(Once) I used to do the same but Synaptic would work for me, to select and remove the unwanted version ...

So, what does this show at the moment?

Code: Select all

apt list *libreoff* -i

[pdev]

Hey, thanks for responding!

It shows:

liblibreoffice-java/stable,stable,now 1:7.0.4-4+deb11u3 all [installed,automatic]
N: There is 1 additional version. Please use the '-a' switch to see it

When I do that I get:
as above, plus
liblibreoffice-java/stable-security,stable-security 1:7.0.4-4+deb11u1 all

[dolphin_oracle]

libreoffice is just a metapackage for a whole bunch of subpackages. At least as packaged by Debian. Don’t know about the deb you downloaded direct.

Typically removing a metapackage does not remove the sub packages.

[Stevo]

installed 7.4 by downloading the app from libreoffice.org.

Please, more detail. Was it one big deb that you downloaded and installed, or what? We need to know exactly what you did in order to undo it.

Also, 7.4 is easily installable from bullseye-backports using MX Package Installer's "backports" tab. I think that would have upgraded over 7.3 and avoided a lot of the fuss.

[pdev]

I presume it was one big deb as it included all the sub apps. However, 7.4 appears to have been deleted. It's 7.3 that remains. Interestingly, although 7.0 appears to be still installed, it doesn't open.

[Stevo]

You should be able to upgrade to 7.4 from the older Debian versions from backports now. Let us know what happens.

[pdev]

Thanks for your help. I've loaded 7.4 now but I've still got a 7.3 version that I'd rather get rid of.

[CharlesV]

I believe the proper way to remove the older version would be :
apt remove --purge libreoffice7.3*

and you MAY have to reinstall 7.4 after that too.

You can see what the remove will remove by adding the simulation tag ( -s ) to the command.

so..
apt remove --purge -s libreoffice7.3*

will show you what will be removed.

[user-green]

As was said above that libreoffice is just a metapackage, which means it is not a libreoffice itself. It has a dependency to pull out all the related packages of libreoffice. Libleoffice does not consist of only one binary package but a lot of packages.

In order to confirm this, your system has an installation log at /var/log/apt/history.log
Please see the history.log, then remove what was installed from the list.

Best regards.