How can I delete a user in linux when the system says its currently used in a process

Question

I am trying to delete a user I created on ubuntu.

However when I use the following command:

userdel -r cafe_fixer

I get the following message:

user cafe_fixer is currently used by process 15945

I am not using this user for anything I just created it and now wish to delete it.

Any help appreciated.

Answer 1

If the user you want to eliminate runs many processes, use the killall command. Even if the user is still logged in, the -f option requires the deactivation of the user account. It also requires deluser to delete the user's home directory and mail spool, even if the user's home directory is shared with another user.