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The Delete Version command removes a Java version from the system’s alternatives database and optionally deletes the installation files from /opt/java/.

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When to use this command

Use this command when you:
  • No longer need a specific Java version
  • Want to free up disk space by removing old JDK installations
  • Need to clean up a corrupted or incomplete Java installation
  • Are replacing an old version with a newer release
  • Want to unregister a version from alternatives without deleting files

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Two-stage deletion process

This command performs deletion in two stages:
  1. Unregister from alternatives - Removes the version from system alternatives (required)
  2. Delete files - Removes the actual files from /opt/java/ (optional)
You can unregister a version from alternatives while keeping the files on disk. This is useful if you want to temporarily remove a version but may need to reinstall it later.

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Step-by-step usage

1

Select the command

From the main menu, choose “Delete Version”
2

View available versions

The tool displays all Java directories in /opt/java/:
Delete Java version
drwxr-xr-x  - root 12 Jan 10:30 jdk-11
drwxr-xr-x  - root 12 Jan 10:31 jdk-17
drwxr-xr-x  - root 12 Jan 10:32 jdk-21
3

Enter folder name

Specify the Java version folder to delete:
Ej. jdk-21
jdk-17
This identifies which version to unregister from alternatives.
4

Unregister from alternatives

The tool removes the version from alternatives for all three binaries:
# Unregistering java, javac, and jar
# This happens automatically with sudo privileges
The version is no longer available via update-alternatives.
5

Choose file deletion

Decide whether to delete the installation files:
Do you want to delete the Java files? in /opt/java
yes or not
yes
  • Enter yes to delete the files
  • Enter not (or anything else) to keep the files
6

Confirm file deletion (if yes)

If you chose to delete files, confirm the folder name again:
Enter the Java version you want to delete
Ej. jdk-21
jdk-17

Java System Deletion
The files are permanently removed from /opt/java/.
7

Completion message

Java is no longer in the system alternatives, but it's still in the folder /opt/java/
This message appears if you chose not to delete files. Otherwise, it confirms complete removal.

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What happens behind the scenes

The implementation in internal/commands/deletejava.go:11-71 performs the following operations:

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1. Display available versions

err := u.RunCommandWithOutput("lsd", "/opt/java")
if err != nil {
    color.Error.Println("Error: ", err)
    return
}

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2. Construct binary paths

color.Info.Tips("Ej. jdk-21")
fmt.Scanln(&path)
pathR := "/opt/java/" + path + "/bin"

java := pathR + "/java"
javac := pathR + "/javac"
jar := pathR + "/jar"

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3. Remove from alternatives

err = u.RunCommandInteractive("sudo", "update-alternatives", "--remove", "java", java)
if err != nil {
    color.Error.Println("Error: ", err)
    return
}

err = u.RunCommandInteractive("sudo", "update-alternatives", "--remove", "javac", javac)
if err != nil {
    color.Error.Println("Error: ", err)
    return
}

err = u.RunCommandInteractive("sudo", "update-alternatives", "--remove", "jar", jar)
if err != nil {
    color.Error.Println("Error: ", err)
    return
}
These commands remove the alternatives entries, making the version unavailable via update-alternatives --config.

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4. Optional file deletion

if op == "yes" {
    color.Info.Prompt("Enter the Java version you want to delete")
    color.Info.Tips("Ej. jdk-21")
    fmt.Scanln(&path)
    pathR = "/opt/java/" + path
    err = u.RunCommandInteractive("sudo", "rm", "-rf", pathR)
    if err != nil {
        color.Error.Println("Error: ", err)
        return
    }
    color.Info.Prompt("Java System Deletion")
}
If you chose yes, this recursively deletes the entire Java directory.

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Real terminal example

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Complete deletion (unregister + delete files)

$ javaoptionscli
# Select "Delete Version" from menu

Delete Java version
drwxr-xr-x  - root 12 Jan 10:30 jdk-11
drwxr-xr-x  - root 12 Jan 10:31 jdk-17
drwxr-xr-x  - root 12 Jan 10:32 jdk-21

Ej. jdk-21
jdk-11

# Unregistering from alternatives...

Do you want to delete the Java files? in /opt/java
yes or not
yes

Enter the Java version you want to delete
Ej. jdk-21
jdk-11

Java System Deletion

# Returns to main menu after 4 seconds

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Unregister only (keep files)

$ javaoptionscli
# Select "Delete Version" from menu

Delete Java version
drwxr-xr-x  - root 12 Jan 10:30 jdk-11
drwxr-xr-x  - root 12 Jan 10:31 jdk-17

Ej. jdk-21
jdk-11

# Unregistering from alternatives...

Do you want to delete the Java files? in /opt/java
yes or not
no

Java is no longer in the system alternatives, but it's still in the folder /opt/java/

# Returns to main menu after 4 seconds

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Common use cases

Remove old Java versions you no longer use:
# Check disk usage first
$ du -sh /opt/java/*
450M    /opt/java/jdk-11
480M    /opt/java/jdk-17
520M    /opt/java/jdk-21

# Delete old version
$ javaoptionscli  # Delete Version -> jdk-11 -> yes
If a Java installation failed or is corrupted, remove it completely:
$ javaoptionscli
# Delete Version -> corrupted-jdk -> yes
# Then reinstall using New Version Java
Keep files but remove from alternatives (useful for testing):
$ javaoptionscli
# Delete Version -> jdk-17 -> not
# Version is unregistered but files remain in /opt/java/jdk-17
# Can be re-registered later if needed
Replace Java 17.0.8 with 17.0.9:
# Delete old version
$ javaoptionscli  # Delete Version -> jdk-17.0.8 -> yes

# Install new version
$ javaoptionscli  # New Version Java -> jdk-17.0.9.tar.gz

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Important warnings

Data cannot be recovered after deletionIf you choose to delete files, they are permanently removed with rm -rf. There is no recycle bin or undo option. Make sure you’ve selected the correct version before confirming.
Don’t delete the currently active versionBefore deleting, verify you’re not removing the currently active Java version:
$ java -version
$ which java
$ readlink -f $(which java)
If you delete the active version, you may break applications. Switch to a different version first using Change Version.
After deleting a version, if you have other Java versions installed, the system will automatically switch to the highest priority version in auto mode. Use List Versions to see remaining versions.

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Manual file deletion later

If you chose not to delete files during unregistration, you can manually delete them later: 
# List remaining Java directories
$ ls -la /opt/java/

# Delete specific version
$ sudo rm -rf /opt/java/jdk-11

# Verify deletion
$ ls -la /opt/java/

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Troubleshooting

Error: No such file or directory
  • The folder name doesn’t exist in /opt/java/
  • Check available folders: ls /opt/java/
  • Ensure you typed the exact folder name
Error: Permission denied
  • You need sudo privileges to remove alternatives and delete files
  • The command will prompt for your password
Version still appears in alternatives after deletion
  • The removal may have failed
  • Manually check: update-alternatives --list java
  • Manually remove if needed: sudo update-alternatives --remove java /opt/java/jdk-XX/bin/java
Can’t delete files even with sudo
  • Files may be in use by a running Java process
  • Check for Java processes: ps aux | grep java
  • Stop processes and try again

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