Discord is a popular communication app that many gamers swear by. If you’re new to Ubuntu and need to install Discord, we’ll show you how.
We’re covering multiple ways to install Discord, so you can choose the most familiar method. Some users like to use the GUI while others are more comfortable on the command line. If you’re not sure which route to choose, you can always take the simplest approach, which is installing from the Software Store.
For this tutorial, we’ll be showing everything on the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS version. But the methods shown will work on versions 18.04 and newer.
Install Discord From the Software Store
This method is the most suitable for beginners. On the left sidebar of your home screen, click the orange icon with “A” on it to open Ubuntu Software.
Click the search icon in the top left corner of the Store. This will open the search bar.
Type in “Discord” into the search bar and press Enter. After the search is completed, you should see the Discord app appear in a list of other apps. Click on the Discord icon.
Now you will see the installation screen for Discord. You can read all the information you’re interested in before installation. When done, click the green “Install” button to start installing Discord.
You’ll be asked to enter your password. Type in your password into the prompt and press the “Authenticate” button to proceed.
After that, the installation process should start immediately. You can see the progress on the top right side.
To open Discord, click the grid icon at the bottom on the left sidebar. This will reveal all the installed applications on your desktop.
You can find Discord in the list.
If you have too many applications and are unable to see the app, type the name into the search bar. This will make Discord appear.
Click the icon to launch Discord.
If you want to remove Discord from your desktop, go back to the app page on the software store. Press the red trash can icon on the right.
You will get a confirmation window. Press the “Uninstall” button.
You’ll be required to enter your password once more. Type in your password to uninstall the app.
Install Discord Using the Command-Line
If you prefer the command line over the software store, then this method is for you. Open a terminal window from the “Show Applications” menu.
Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+Alt+T to open it. To install Discord, run the following command:
sudo snap install discord
Enter your password when prompted. Discord should be installed after a while. You will get a message after a successful installation.
To open Discord from the terminal, use the below command:
discord
To uninstall Discord using the command line, run the below command:
sudo snap remove discord
When it’s uninstalled, you should see a message that Discord was removed.
Install Discord Using the DEB Package
DEB packages are software packages meant for Debian and its derivatives (such as Ubuntu). Let’s see how you can install a DEB package of the Discord app on Ubuntu.
If you’re using a minimal installation of Ubuntu, you’ll need to have the “Gdebi Package Installer” installed on your desktop first. You can install it from the Ubuntu Software store as we’ve shown above. Or you can install it using this command:
sudo apt install gdebi
Now open a web browser and go to the official Discord website. Click the “Download for Linux” button.
You should see two options appear—deb and tar.gz. Click on “deb.”
This will start downloading the DEB package on your desktop.
When the download is completed, press on the name of the downloaded file to open it.
You can also navigate to the folder where it was downloaded and open the DEB package from there. The default directory is the “home/Downloads” directory.
Right-click on the icon to open the context menu. Then choose the “Open With Other Application” option.
You’ll see a few options to pick from. Click on “Gdebi Package Installer” and press the “Select” button.
You should see a new window with the details of the package. Press the “Install Package” button to start installing Discord.
When the password prompt arrives, type in your password. The installation should start.
After the installation is done, you should see a message indicating that. Press the “Close” button.
Go to the application drawer and you should see Discord in the list. Press the icon to run the app.
If you want to remove the app, you need to reopen it with the “Gdebi Package Installer” in the same way you did earlier. This time, you should see an option on the right side to remove the package. Click the “Remove Package” button.
Type in your password into the prompt to continue. When the app gets uninstalled, you should see a message saying that it was removed. Click the “Close” button.
You can also delete the DEB package to save space on your desktop.
Install Discord Using Flatpak
Flatpak is a universal package installer. Since Canonical decided to remove default Flatpak support in April 2023, you’ll need to enable Flatpak support on Ubuntu first.
If you’re running Ubuntu 18.10 (Cosmic Cuttlefish) or later, then follow this guide to enable Flatpak.
First, install Flatpak with this command:
sudo apt install flatpak
Next, install the Flatpak plugin for the GNOME software app by running this command:
sudo apt install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak
After installing these two, you need to add the “Flathub” repository from where you can install Flatpak apps. Add the repository with this command:
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
You’ll be asked to authenticate using your password. After that, you’re ready to install Flatpak apps. To install Discord using Flatpak, run this command:
flatpak install flathub com.discordapp.Discord
When prompted, type ‘y’ and press Enter to confirm. Once installed, run the Discord app using this command:
flatpak run com.discordapp.Discord
If you want to remove Discord using Flatpak, then use this command:
flatpak uninstall com.discordapp.Discord
Ready to Discord on Ubuntu
By now you should have Discord installed on your Ubuntu system. You can start chatting with your co-workers and family or go on yet another gaming adventure with your friends. If you’re using Discord on Windows and facing issues such as Discord update failing, check our guide to fix it.