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A cropped screenshot showing snap-store in the system monitor window using 355 MiBs of memory. The snap-store process is intermittently using hundreds of megabytes of RAM.

Is this normal? Is there a solution?

James
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  • I got pretty high %MEM as well; but killing it via `top` seems to work at least temporarily. – DK Bose May 15 '20 at 13:07
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    Also, you can go through https://bugs.launchpad.net/snap-store/+bugs?orderby=-id&start=0 and maybe file a bug? If you do, please ping me so I can #MeToo the bug. – DK Bose May 15 '20 at 13:23
  • I just checked the memory used by snap-store in Kubuntu 20.04. It's about 32 MB there, with it open. So it seems like something is amiss with Ubuntu. I've recently not had any response to bugs I've filed so I won't be filing any in this regard for now. – DK Bose May 16 '20 at 04:48
  • When it isn't running, there's no `snap-store` process on Kubuntu 20.04. – DK Bose May 16 '20 at 04:50
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    I have just copied this questions as a bug report here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/snap-store/+bug/1879137 – James May 17 '20 at 09:29
  • sudo snap remove snap-store – JG Estiot Jul 29 '20 at 00:37

3 Answers3

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You can safely uninstall the Snap Store app with sudo snap remove snap-store && sudo apt install gnome-software, and if you do you will still be able to install snap apps from the terminal with sudo snap install package-name and also to manage installed snap apps from the terminal.

There is a temporary workaround. App Outlet is a universal Linux app store that has the functionality of searching for snap packages, but if you install it locally in your home directory without root permissions (it is an appimage app) then you have to install snap packages from the terminal. If App Outlet is locally installed (What is an “AppImage”? How do I install it?) the RAM it used should be freed up when it is closed.

I don't think Snap Store's excessive RAM usage is anomalous because other Ubuntu users have also reported the same problem. I suggest that you try App Outlet without uninstalling Snap Store. If App Outlet works as a replacement for Snap Store then you can uninstall Snap Store and install the Software app with sudo apt install gnome-software instead.

I have both Snap Store and the Software app installed in 20.04 and the RAM used by both apps is freed up when they are closed. I'm worried that your Software app will use excessive memory too, the same as the Snap Store does, but if it may solve half of the problem if it doesn't use excessive memory, and you can use App Outlet alongside the Software app as a replacement for Snap Store.

karel
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  • Thanks for the quick fix suggestion. I think there is definitely something amiss, and I am not the only one according to the [bug report](https://bugs.launchpad.net/snap-store/+bug/1879137) – James Aug 03 '20 at 09:58
  • @James Please comment if anything in this answer, which I added new content to, doesn't work properly, so that I can follow up on your comment. – karel Aug 03 '20 at 11:13
  • results of "define anomalous": deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected – karel Mar 12 '21 at 10:12
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This problem is inherited from Gnome Software, see https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-software/-/issues/942 upstream. Hence suggestions to uninstall Snap Store and replace it with Gnome Software won't fit the bill.

memeplex
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Yeah its normal.

If you are not using snap-store just remove it using -

sudo snap remove snap-store

Instead you can use gnome-software

Kulfy
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Tickler_
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