How to fix snapd process consuming lot of data and CPU

If you want to disable automatic updates of Snap’s from the store then there is no such direct option but there are other ways like, temporally disabling the snap update services. Most of times it use data in background and CPU power which can be a problem if you’re using some VPS.

Here is the cause of snapd process and how to fix the auto update process happening in snapd.

Cause of the problem

In Linux by default, snaps refresh themselves 4 times per day. If you are using many snaps, this can consume lot of data. In internet people are talking about limiting the refresh time of snaps using refresh.timer but it don’t solve the problem of data usage in metered connection.

Here is how you can disable the auto update/refresh snap process easily

How to fix the problem

This can be fixed in number of ways like changing the refresh time of snap to deleting the snap and installing it again at the time of use. In our testing we found 2 promising method to solve the problem of snapd eating too much data in background, which can cost money if the data is metered.

1. Disable method(convenient but not very effective)

Disable the snap after aborting all snap process by using

sudo systemctl stop snapd && sudo systemctl disable snapd

To restore the snap while using snap

sudo systemctl enable snapd && sudo systemctl start snapd

Note: Disabling snapd won’t effect already downloaded snaps. Also, the reason of this method for not being so effective is that snapd can automatically enable in some cases of update in some Linux Distributions.

2. Deleting method(effective)

Delete the snapd and install it again while using(takes less then 1 min).

Before deleting first stop snapd service by using

sudo systemctl stop snapd

Now delete it using

sudo apt purge snapd

If this gives error then use

sudo apt remove --purge --assume-yes snapd gnome-software-plugin-snap

Installing snapd

To install snapd again simply use.

sudo apt install snapd

At the end

sudo apt update

In some cases you might get this error by default, snaps are set to refresh themselves 4 times per day. If you are using many snaps, this could be a data intensive process for you.

 sudo: snap: command not found  

Check out! How to solve sudo: snap: command not found.