|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +title: Installing, Updating, and Removing Applications |
| 3 | +description: > |
| 4 | + Quick guide to installing, updating, and removing apps on your device. |
| 5 | +keywords: |
| 6 | + - Apps |
| 7 | + - Install |
| 8 | + - Update |
| 9 | + - Remove |
| 10 | + - Delete |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +facebookImage: /_social/article |
| 13 | +twitterImage: /_social/article |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | +hidden: false |
| 16 | +section: pop |
| 17 | +tableOfContents: true |
| 18 | +--- |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +## Types of Packages in Pop!_OS |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +There are multiple package formats that can be used for installing applications on Pop!_OS. |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +- **Flatpaks** are a modern type of package that utilize containerization and sandboxing for increased stability and security. Installing a Flatpak also installs all of its dependencies and libraries, and different Flatpak applications can use different versions of their dependencies at the same time if necessary. |
| 25 | + - [Flathub](https://flathub.org/) is the default source for most Flatpak applications in Pop!_OS. |
| 26 | + - Flatpak applications are generally more up-to-date than system (.deb) packages. |
| 27 | + - In Pop!_OS, Flatpak applications will only be available to the user who installed them by default. |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +- **.deb files** (short for Debian files), sometimes called "system packages," are an older packaging format that forms the base of the operating system. They're installed by the `dpkg` or `apt` utilities (with `apt` also handling dependency resolution). Only one version of a dependency can usually be installed at a time with .deb files. |
| 30 | + - [The Ubuntu repositories](https://packages.ubuntu.com/) are the primary source of non-default .deb packages available to install in Pop!_OS and Ubuntu. (System packages installed by default are sometimes sourced from the first-party Pop!_OS repositories instead.) |
| 31 | + - System (.deb) packages sometimes offer older versions of applications than Flatpaks, since applications installed from the Ubuntu repositories only receive feature updates during major version upgrades of Pop!_OS. |
| 32 | + - Installed system (.deb) packages are available to all user accounts on the computer. For this reason, only administrators can install or update .deb packages. |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +## Using the COSMIC Store |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +### Installing an Application |
| 37 | + |
| 38 | +COSMIC includes a graphical user interface (GUI) called the COSMIC Store for easy installation and management of applications. |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +1. Open the COSMIC Store by clicking the icon in the dock, or by pressing `Super` to open the launcher and then searching for “COSMIC Store”. |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | + |
| 44 | +2. Explore apps or type the application name in the search field. |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +3. Select the system (.deb) or Flathub (Flatpak) version. |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | + |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +### Installing an Application Not Listed in the COSMIC Store |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +The COSMIC Store lists applications available in the configurated software repositories. By default, these are [Flathub](https://flathub.org), [the Ubuntu repositories](https://packages.ubuntu.com), and the first-party Pop!\_OS repositories. If an application isn't available from one of these repositories, you can use the web to search for and install it from another source instead. |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +1. Search for the application download link and instructions online. |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | + |
| 60 | +2. Download the application. When given multiple options of file type, look for a 64-bit .deb or Debian/Ubuntu option. |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | + |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +3. After downloading, go to the Downloads folder and double-click the .deb file. |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | + |
| 68 | +4. The COSMIC Store will open and present you with the option to install the file. |
| 69 | + |
| 70 | + - When installing this way, the application may install a new repository so COSMIC Store can check for updates in the future, or you may need to download updates manually the same way you downloaded the initial installer. |
| 71 | + |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +### Managing Repositories |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +You can add, remove, and edit software repositories using Repoman. This includes .deb software repositories (sometimes called PPAs, or Personal Package Archives), and Flatpak software repositories. |
| 77 | + |
| 78 | +**Caution:** Third-party repositories allow users to install software that has not been validated by System76 or other trusted Pop!_OS maintainers. Security vulerabilities or other bugs could be present in third-party software. Users should take caution and only add software repositories they trust. |
| 79 | + |
| 80 | +1. Press `Super` to open the launcher, then search for “Repoman". |
| 81 | + |
| 82 | + |
| 83 | + |
| 84 | +2. Click on the Extra Sources tab to manage .deb repositories (PPAs), or the Flatpak tab to manage Flatpak repositories. |
| 85 | + |
| 86 | + |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +#### Adding a Repository |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | +1. Click the `+` button in the bottom-left corner. |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | + |
| 93 | + |
| 94 | +2. Enter the source details for the repository and click Add. |
| 95 | + |
| 96 | + |
| 97 | + |
| 98 | +3. After entering your password (if prompted), the repository will appear in the sources list. |
| 99 | + |
| 100 | + |
| 101 | + |
| 102 | +#### Removing a Repository |
| 103 | + |
| 104 | +Select a repository from the list, then click on the trashcan icon to delete the repository. |
| 105 | + |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | + |
| 108 | +### Updating Installed Applications |
| 109 | + |
| 110 | +The COSMIC Store can update any applications installed from the software repositories configured on the system. |
| 111 | + |
| 112 | +1. Open the COSMIC Store. |
| 113 | +2. Click `Updates` on the sidebar. |
| 114 | +3. Select `Update all` in the top-right corner. |
| 115 | + |
| 116 | + |
| 117 | + |
| 118 | +## Using the Terminal |
| 119 | + |
| 120 | +### Searching for Applications |
| 121 | + |
| 122 | +You can discover the package names for new applications using the respective websites for [Flathub](https://flathub.org/) and [the Ubuntu repositories](https://packages.ubuntu.com/), or you can search for applications with a command line interface. Launch the Terminal (`SUPER` + `T`), then use the commands below. |
| 123 | + |
| 124 | +#### Flatpaks |
| 125 | + |
| 126 | +Search with the following command: |
| 127 | + |
| 128 | +``` |
| 129 | +flatpak search [search term] |
| 130 | +``` |
| 131 | + |
| 132 | +The package name for each search result is displayed in the `Application ID` column. |
| 133 | + |
| 134 | + |
| 135 | + |
| 136 | +#### .deb (System) Packages |
| 137 | + |
| 138 | +Search with the following command: |
| 139 | + |
| 140 | +``` |
| 141 | +apt search [search term] |
| 142 | +``` |
| 143 | + |
| 144 | +The package name for each search result is displayed in green, before the `/` character. |
| 145 | + |
| 146 | + |
| 147 | + |
| 148 | +### Installing and Removing Applications |
| 149 | + |
| 150 | +Launch the Terminal (`SUPER` + `T`) to install applications using a command line interface. The command to use depends on which package manager you're using for an app. |
| 151 | + |
| 152 | +#### Flatpaks |
| 153 | + |
| 154 | +To install an application as a Flatpak: |
| 155 | + |
| 156 | +``` |
| 157 | +flatpak install --app [packagename] |
| 158 | +``` |
| 159 | + |
| 160 | +Flatpak will ask which app to install if multiple apps match the package name you provided. If you omit the `--app` flag, you'll also see libraries that match the package name. |
| 161 | + |
| 162 | +To uninstall an application as a Flatpak: |
| 163 | + |
| 164 | +``` |
| 165 | +flatpak uninstall [packagename] |
| 166 | +``` |
| 167 | + |
| 168 | +#### .deb Packages |
| 169 | + |
| 170 | +To install an application with apt: |
| 171 | + |
| 172 | +```bash |
| 173 | +sudo apt install [packagename] |
| 174 | +``` |
| 175 | + |
| 176 | +To uninstall an application with apt: |
| 177 | + |
| 178 | +```bash |
| 179 | +sudo apt autoremove --purge [packagename] |
| 180 | +``` |
| 181 | + |
| 182 | +The `autoremove` command removes dependencies that are no longer needed in addition to the app itself. The `--purge` flag removes system-wide configuration (such as from the `/etc/` directory) when uninstalling the package. User-specific configuration (in the `/home/` directory) is usually retained when removing packages with apt. |
| 183 | + |
| 184 | +### Updating via the Terminal |
| 185 | + |
| 186 | +#### Updating System-wide Software (.deb) |
| 187 | + |
| 188 | +1. Open a terminal by pressing `Super` + `T` and type the following commands: |
| 189 | + |
| 190 | +```bash |
| 191 | +sudo apt update |
| 192 | +sudo apt full-upgrade |
| 193 | +sudo apt autoremove --purge |
| 194 | +``` |
| 195 | + |
| 196 | +2. After each command, enter your password or answer `Y` as prompted. |
| 197 | + - When prompted for your password in the terminal, no onscreen feedback will appear while typing the password; press `Enter` after you're done typing the password. |
| 198 | + |
| 199 | + |
| 200 | + |
| 201 | +3. If an error appears, read the error message and run any commands it suggests. |
| 202 | + |
| 203 | + |
| 204 | + |
| 205 | +#### Updating Flatpaks |
| 206 | + |
| 207 | +1. Open a terminal by pressing `Super` + `T` and type the following commands: |
| 208 | + |
| 209 | +```bash |
| 210 | +flatpak update |
| 211 | +flatpak uninstall --unused |
| 212 | +``` |
| 213 | + |
| 214 | +## Using the Pop!_Shop (for Pop!_OS 22.04 and below) |
| 215 | + |
| 216 | +### Installing an Application |
| 217 | + |
| 218 | +Pop!_OS 22.04 and below include the Pop!_Shop, which looks different from the COSMIC Store but performs most of the same functions. |
| 219 | + |
| 220 | +1. Open the Pop! Shop by clicking the rocket ship icon in the dock, or press SUPER and search for “pop shop”. |
| 221 | + |
| 222 | + |
| 223 | + |
| 224 | +2. Explore apps in categories, or type the application name in the search field. |
| 225 | + |
| 226 | + |
| 227 | + |
| 228 | +3. Select the Pop!_OS/Ubuntu (.deb) or flathub (Flatpak) version. |
| 229 | + |
| 230 | + |
| 231 | + |
| 232 | +4. Click **Install**. |
| 233 | + |
| 234 | +### Installing an Application Not Listed in the Pop!_Shop |
| 235 | + |
| 236 | +The Pop!_Shop lists applications available in the configurated software repositories. By default, these are [Flathub](https://flathub.org), [the Ubuntu repositories](https://packages.ubuntu.com), and the first-party Pop!\_OS repositories. If an application isn't available from one of these repositories, you can use the web to search for and install it from another source instead. |
| 237 | + |
| 238 | +1. Search for the application download link and instructions online. |
| 239 | + |
| 240 | + |
| 241 | + |
| 242 | +2. Download the application. When given multiple options of file type, look for a 64-bit .deb or Debian/Ubuntu option. |
| 243 | + |
| 244 | + |
| 245 | + |
| 246 | +3. After downloading, go to the Downloads folder and double-click the .deb file. |
| 247 | + |
| 248 | + |
| 249 | + |
| 250 | +4. Open the file in Eddy, the default hanlder for .deb files in older versions of Pop!_OS. |
| 251 | + |
| 252 | + |
| 253 | + |
| 254 | +5. Click Install, then enter your password if prompted. |
| 255 | + |
| 256 | + |
| 257 | + |
| 258 | +### Managing Repositories |
| 259 | + |
| 260 | +You can add, remove, and edit software repositories using Repoman. This includes .deb software repositories (sometimes called PPAs, or Personal Package Archives), and Flatpak software repositories. |
| 261 | + |
| 262 | +**Caution:** Third-party repositories allow users to install software that has not been validated by System76 or other trusted Pop!_OS maintainers. Security vulerabilities or other bugs could be present in third-party software. Users should take caution and only add software repositories they trust. |
| 263 | + |
| 264 | +1. Access Repoman by launching the Pop!_Shop, then clicking the `System Software Sources` option in the top-right menu or pressing the `Ctrl` + `S` keyboard shortcut in the Pop!_Shop. |
| 265 | + |
| 266 | + |
| 267 | + |
| 268 | +2. Click on the Extra Sources tab to manage .deb repositories (PPAs), or the Flatpak tab to manage Flatpak repositories. |
| 269 | + |
| 270 | + |
| 271 | + |
| 272 | +#### Adding a Repository |
| 273 | + |
| 274 | +1. Click the `+` button in the bottom-left corner. |
| 275 | + |
| 276 | + |
| 277 | + |
| 278 | +2. Enter the source details for the repository and click Add. |
| 279 | + |
| 280 | + |
| 281 | + |
| 282 | +3. After entering your password (if prompted), the repository will appear in the sources list. |
| 283 | + |
| 284 | + |
| 285 | + |
| 286 | +#### Removing a Repository |
| 287 | + |
| 288 | +Select a repository from the list, then click on the trashcan icon to delete the repository. |
| 289 | + |
| 290 | + |
| 291 | + |
| 292 | +### Updating Installed Applications |
| 293 | + |
| 294 | +The Pop!_Shop can update any applications installed from the software repositories configured on the system. |
| 295 | + |
| 296 | +1. Open the Pop!_Shop. |
| 297 | + |
| 298 | +2. Click `Updates & Installed Software` in the top-right menu, or press the `Ctrl` + `I` keyboard shortcut in the Pop!_Shop. |
| 299 | + |
| 300 | + |
| 301 | + |
| 302 | +3. Select `Update All`. |
| 303 | + |
| 304 | + |
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