Ubuntu 25.10: How to Revert to GNU Coreutils

Despite reports to the contrary — thanks AI slop! — users upgrading to Ubuntu 25.10 (Questing Quokka) will indeed find GNU coreutils replaced with the Rust-written alternative uutils.

(It isn't just the default for new installs.)

With uutils only passing ~80% of the original GNU test suite, it's a curiously premature move, especially considering how foundational tools like cp, dd, mv, etc. are to the functioning of Linux systems.

Even if you don't notice any immediate problems, it's probably a good idea to revert back to the GNU implementation for the time being before something bad happens. Haha.

To that end, the following counter-intuitive command should do the trick:

sudo apt-get remove coreutils-from-uutils --allow-remove-essential

Be sure to read the output carefully before typing Y; the plan should include both the removal of coreutils-from-uutils as well as the installation of coreutils-from-gnu.