Fix “Unable to lock the administration directory (/var/lib/dpkg/)” in Ubuntu

While using the apt-get command or the relatively new APT package management tool in Ubuntu Linux or its derivatives such as Linux Mint (which I actually use as my primary operating system for doing daily work), you might have encountered the error – “unable to lock the administration directory (/var/lib/dpkg/) is another process using it” on the command line.

This error can be so annoying especially for new Linux (Ubuntu) users who may not know exactly the cause of the error.

Below is an example, showing the lock file error in Ubuntu 16.10:

[email protected]:~$ sudo apt install neofetch
[sudo] password for tecmint:
E: Could not get lock /var/lib/dpkg/lock - open (11: Resource temporarily unavailable)
E: Unable to lock the administration directory (/var/lib/dpkg), is another process using it?

The output below is another possible instance of the same error:

E: Could not get lock /var/lib/apt/lists/lock - open (11: Resource temporarily unavailable)
E: Unable to lock directory /var/lib/apt/lists/ 
E: Could not get lock /var/lib/dpkg/lock - open (11: Resource temporarily unavailable) 
E: Unable to lock the administration directory (/var/lib/dpkg/), is another process using it?

How can you solve the above error in case you bump into it in the future? There are several ways of dealing with this error(s), but in this guide, we will go through the two easiest and probably the most effective ways of solving it.

1. Find and Kill all apt-get or apt Processes

Run the command below to generate a list of all processes whose name comprises of the word apt, you will get a list inclusive of all apt or apt-get processes by using ps and grep commands together with a pipeline.

$ ps -A | grep apt
Find apt and apt-get Processes
Find apt and apt-get Processes

For each apt-get or apt process that you can see in the output of the command above, kill each process using the command below.

The process ID (PID) is found in the first column from the screenshot above.

$ sudo kill -9 processnumber
OR
$ sudo kill -SIGKILL processnumber

For instance, in the command below where 9 is the signal number for the SIGKILL signal, will kill the first apt process:

$ sudo kill -9 13431
OR
$ sudo kill -SIGKILL 13431

2. Delete the lock Files

A lock file simply prevents access to another file(s) or some data on your Linux system, this concept is present in Windows and other operating systems as well.

Once you run an apt-get or apt command, a lock file is created under the any of these directories /var/lib/apt/lists/, /var/lib/dpkg/ and /var/cache/apt/archives/.

This helps to avoid the apt-get or apt process that is already running from being interrupted by either a user or other system processes that would need to work with files being used by apt-get or apt. When the process has finished executing, the lock file is then deleted.

Important: In case a lock is still exiting in the two directories above with no noticeable apt-get or apt process running, this may mean the process was held for one reason or the other, therefore you need to delete the lock files in order to clear the error.

First execute the command below to remove the lock file in the /var/lib/dpkg/ directory:

$ sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/lock

Afterwards force package(s) to reconfigure like so:

$ sudo dpkg --configure -a

Alternatively, delete the lock files in the /var/lib/apt/lists/ and cache directory as below:

$ sudo rm /var/lib/apt/lists/lock
$ sudo rm /var/cache/apt/archives/lock

Next, update your packages sources list as follows:

$ sudo apt update
OR
$ sudo apt-get update

In conclusion, we have walked through two important methods to deal with a common problem faced by Ubuntu (and its derivatives) users, while running apt-get or apt as well as aptitude commands.

Do you have any other reliable methods to share meant for deal with this common error? Then get in touch with us via the feedback form below.

In addition, you may as well want to learn how to find and kill running processes and read through a simple guide to kill, pkill and killall commands to terminate a process in Linux.

If you read this far, tweet to the author to show them you care. Tweet a thanks
Aaron Kili
Aaron Kili is a Linux and F.O.S.S enthusiast, an upcoming Linux SysAdmin, web developer, and currently a content creator for TecMint who loves working with computers and strongly believes in sharing knowledge.

Each tutorial at TecMint is created by a team of experienced Linux system administrators so that it meets our high-quality standards.

Join the TecMint Weekly Newsletter (More Than 156,129 Linux Enthusiasts Have Subscribed)
Was this article helpful? Please add a comment or buy me a coffee to show your appreciation.

101 thoughts on “Fix “Unable to lock the administration directory (/var/lib/dpkg/)” in Ubuntu”

  1. In the parrot os terminal whenever I try to update using sudo apt-get update it shows a lot of errors I don’t know what to do a lot of Ign:1, and Ign:2 coming up again, and again can you help me how to solve the problem?

    Reply
  2. Is there any biggest problem because of the “unable to lock the administration directory (/var/lib/dpkg/” of this error in the system?

    Reply
  3. Cool is working for me, here is short story

    [email protected]:/home/user1# apt-get remove && apt-get update && apt-get upgrade -y && apt-get dist-upgrade -y
    Reading package lists… Done
    Building dependency tree
    Reading state information… Done
    0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 767 not upgraded.
    Reading package lists… Done
    E: Could not get lock /var/lib/apt/lists/lock – open (11: Resource temporarily unavailable)
    E: Unable to lock directory /var/lib/apt/lists/

    $ sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/lock

    Afterward force package(s) to reconfigure like so:

    $ sudo dpkg --configure -a

    $ sudo apt-get remove && apt-get update && apt-get upgrade -y && apt-get dist-upgrade -y

    :) all best

    Reply

Got something to say? Join the discussion.

Have a question or suggestion? Please leave a comment to start the discussion. Please keep in mind that all comments are moderated and your email address will NOT be published.