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[Beginner’s Guide] How to Install deb file in Ubuntu in 4 Different Ways

Last updated: April 25, 2021

Got a deb file download from the web? This is a beginner’s guide shows you how to install the file in Ubuntu.

DEB is the software package format for Debian / Ubuntu based systems. Besides Ubuntu main / universe repositories and Ubuntu PPAs, some applications offer .deb files for downloading in their project pages or websites.

Option 1.) Directly install via double-click.

Like EXE file for Windows, you can simply double click on a deb file. By default, it opens Ubuntu Software with an option to install the software package.

This is the easiest way. However Ubuntu Software is buggy, it’s one of the top core apps being criticized for years.

Option 2.) Use Gdebi Package Installer.

Gdebi package installer is the most recommended way to handle .deb packages. It’s default in Linux Mint. Ubuntu users can either install it from Ubuntu Software or by running command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

sudo apt install gdebi

After installed it, just right-click on a deb file, select “Open With Other Application” and choose Gdebi package installer to open the file.

When Gdebi opens, it shows the package details including app description, dependency libraries, and installed files. To install it, click on “Install Package” button.

And a ‘Remove Package’ button will be available once you installed it.

Option 3.) Using apt command:

Apt is the most commonly used command to install, remove, and manage software packages from Ubuntu repositories, PPAs, and third-party apt repositories.

It seems to start from Ubuntu 20.04, the apt command added support for installing local deb files.

Firstly, right-click on blank area of the folder that contains the deb file. Then select ‘Open in Terminal’

When terminal opens, run command to install local deb file:

sudo apt install ./PACKAGE_NAME.deb

You can use wildcard character * in file name. In my case, the command can be:

sudo apt install ./giara_0.3*.deb

Option 4.) Using dpkg command:

dpkg is the command line package manager for Debian. I used to use the command to install local deb files in Ubuntu. The downside is that dpkg does not install missing dependency packages automatically.

To install a deb file via dpkg command, run:

sudo dpkg -i /path/to/file_name.deb

Same to the previous option, you can use “Open in Terminal” option to open folder in terminal and then run command:

sudo dpkg -i giara_0.3*.deb

Since it does not handle dependency automatically, the command often output error and leave package unconfigured. You have to run one more command to fix it:

sudo apt -f install

Conclusion:

Since Ubuntu Software is buggy and dpkg command does not handle dependency packages, Gdebi and apt command can be the best choices to install local deb file in Ubuntu via either graphical or command line.

In Howtos deb

How to Upgrade to Ubuntu 21.04 from Ubuntu 20.10

Last updated: April 23, 2021

Ubuntu 21.04 Hirsute Hippo was officially released! For Ubuntu 20.10 users, here’s how to upgrade your system to the new edition.

Same to the previous version, Ubuntu 21.04 is a short term release with 9 month support. It’s powered by Linux Kernel 5.11 with following features:

Microsoft Active Directory integration
Use wayland as default session, while Xorg is still available.
Dark Gnome Shell Theme by default.
Use Desktop Icons NG extension for drag & drop support.
Use nftables as default firewall backend.
Add support for smartcard authentication
Toolchain and core application updates.

How to Upgrade Ubuntu 20.10 to Ubuntu 21.04:

1.) First of all, make backup of all your important data.

2.) Then disable or remove Ubuntu PPAs, or third-party repositories. To do so, open Software & Updates utility and go to Other Software tab.

3.) Next navigate to Updates tab, make sure the value of “Notify me a new Ubuntu version” is set to “For any new version“.

4.) If proprietary drivers are in use, it’s recommended to switch to the open-source drivers under Additional Drivers tab.

5.) Press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal, and run command to install all system updates:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

6.) Restart your machine, then open terminal and run command:

update-manager -d

The Software Updater will pop-up and prompt you that Ubuntu 21.04 is available.

7.) Click on “Upgrade” button and confirm after reading the release note dialog.

NOTE: though the release note says Hirsute Hippo development branch. It did upgrade to Ubuntu 21.04 final edition in my test.

After that, it starts downloading the release upgrade tool:

8.) Finally, you’re at the system upgrade wizard:

Before “Getting new packages“, it will again ask for confirmation. And your WON’T be able to cancel the upgrading process once you click on “Start Upgrade” button.

9.) Depends on network speed and system resources, the upgrading process can even take a few hours. However, there will be one or two confirm dialog during the process. So DON’T leave your machine too far, you have to keep an eye on it.

When everything’s done successfully, it will prompt to restart the machine to complete the process.

That’s it. Enjoy!

In Howtos Ubuntu 21.04

Dash-to-Plank – Plank Dock Integration in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: April 22, 2021

Prefer Plank dock launcher? Dash-to-Plank is the GNOME Shell extension to integrate it in Ubuntu.

Besides Dash-to-Dock and Dash-to-Panel, this is the third ‘Dash-to’ extension I’ve heard about. It’s Gnome Shell integration for Plank, the simplest dock on the planet.

Why Plank?

For me, the only reason to use Plank instead of Ubuntu Dock (Dash-to-Dock) is that there are tons of Plank themes available in the web, so I can change its look and feel at will.

Install Dash-to-Plank:

1.) Firstly, you have to install plank by running command in terminal (press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal):

sudo apt install plank

Though I’m not sure, before installing the extension system restart is required.

2.) Install the chrome-gnome-shell package if you’re first time to install a Gnome Shell extension.

sudo apt install chrome-gnome-shell

3.) Finally go to the extension web page and turn on the toggle icon to install it.

Don’t see the toggle icon? Click the link ‘Click here to install browser extension’ to install browser extension and refresh the web page.

That’s it!

In addition, the extension does not remove the default Ubuntu Dock. To get rid of it, disable ‘Dash’ via another extension.

In Howtos Dock

3 Ways to Check Your Wi-Fi Password in Ubuntu

Last updated: April 20, 2021

wifi hotspot

Forgot your wireless access point password? Well, there are a few ways to find it out in Ubuntu.

Option 1.) Using system’s wifi settings:

Firstly, if your Ubuntu is running with the default desktop environment. Simply go to Wi-Fi settings from system tray menu:

Then click on the gear button after the current connected access point to get into settings page. Navigate to the Security tab, and finally tick “Show password” check out to get the password.

Option 2.) Get Wi-Fi password via connection profiles:

For other desktop environments or command line, navigate to /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections directory either in file manager or by running command in terminal:

cd /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections && ls

There you’ll see all saved network connections. Just open the desired one with your favorite text editor (need root permission) or by running command:

sudo cat FILENAME.connection

When file opens, you’ll see the password under wifi-security section.

Option 3.) Single command to tell Wi-Fi password:

If you don’t hate Linux command, you can run this single command to print the current connected Wi-Fi password:

nmcli device wifi show-password

The command will work on all Linux systems. And it outputs a QR code for sharing with your friends.

In Howtos wifi

Firefox 88 Released with Pinch Zoom Touchpad Gesture Support for Linux

Last updated: April 19, 2021

Mozilla Firefox 88.0 was released today. For Linux users now it supports for smooth pinch-zooming using a touchpad.

Besides that, Firefox 88 introduced a new protection against privacy leaks. Now it confines the window.name property to the website that created it. And it will clear the window.name property when navigating between websites to potential privacy leakage.

For those prefer the built-in ‘Take a Screenshot’ action, the feature has been removed from the ‘three dots’ page actions menu. Instead, you can get it from the context menu.

Other changes in Firefox 88.0 include:

PDF forms now support JavaScript embedded in PDF files.
Margin units are now localized in Print.
Disable FTP support.
Various security fixes.

How to get Firefox 88 in Ubuntu:

For all current Ubuntu releases, the new Firefox package will be published in Ubuntu security & updates repositories in the next few days.

At that time, you can easily update the web browser through Software Updater (Update Manager)

For those who can’t wait, the non-install portable tarball is available to download at the link below:

Firefox FTP Download Page

In News

Make Some Noise in Ubuntu Linux with Blanket

Last updated: April 16, 2021

Want to make some ambient sounds? Try Blanket, an open-source tool with modern user interface.

Blanket is a GTK application allows to play some ambient sounds including:

Birdsong
Summer night
Rain, storm, wind.
Coffee shop, fireplace.
White noise, pink noise.
Train, boat, and city.

Each sound has a volume control, so that you can get mixed sounds.

And the app supports playing even more sounds by adding your own audio files.

How to Install Blanket in Ubuntu:

The software has an official Ubuntu PPA, which so far offers packages for Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 20.10, and Ubuntu 21.04.

1.) Open terminal from your system app launcher. When terminal opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:apandada1/blanket

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it asks and hit Enter to continue.

2.) After that, run apt command to install it:

sudo apt install blanket

Once installed, open it from system app launcher and enjoy!

Uninstall Blanket

To remove the PPA, either go to Software & Updates -> Other Software or run command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:apandada1/blanket

To remove the ambient noise player, run command:

sudo apt remove --auto-remove blanket

In App Review

gThumb Image Viewer 3.11.3 Adds JPEG XL (.jxl) Support [Ubuntu PPA]

Last updated: August 23, 2021

gThumb, GNOME image viewer and organizer, released version 3.11.3 a few days ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 20.10 via PPA.

gThumb 3.11.3 adds support for JPEG XL – the next generation image coding standard.

JPEG XL (.jxl) is based on ideas from Google’s Pik format and Cloudinary’s FUIF format. It is the next-generation, general-purpose image compression codec by the JPEG committee. Some popular apps, e.g., ImageMagick, XnView MP, have already added support for the image format.

gThumb now opens the .jxl image format through the libjxl library.

Other changes in the release include:

Added file actions to the viewer context menu.
Removed facebook and picasaweb uploaders
Fixed issue that continuously reloads image when it is only image in folder
Webp can have transparency as well.
New and updated translations.

How to Install gThumb 3.11.3 in Ubuntu via PPA:

For Ubuntu 18.04 (64-bit), Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 20.10, Ubuntu 21.04, Linux Mint 19.x, 20.x, you can install the new release packages via the unofficial PPA.

~~~~NOTE for Ubuntu 21.04: It seems to have bug (not sure) in libjxl when building against Clang 11.0.1. So gThumb packge for 21.04 was built without JPEG XL support~~.~~

1.) To add the PPA, open terminal from system application launcher, and run command:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/apps

2.) You can then either upgrade the image viewer from an old version via Update Manager (Software Updater), or run command in terminal:

sudo apt install gthumb

Uninstall gThumb & the Ubuntu PPA

To remove gThumb image viewer, run command:

sudo apt remove --autoremove gthumb gthumb-data

To remove the Ubuntu PPA, either run the apt-add-repository command with --remove flag, or use Software & Updates -> Other Software.

In Howtos, News JPEG XL

Fix GVfs Admin “Unix process subject does not have uid set” in Ubuntu 21.10, 21.04

Last updated: October 18, 2021

Starting in Ubuntu 21.04, when user trying to open file or path via GVfs admin daemon it outputs an error and refuses to work.

This usually happens when you use “Open as Administrator” or “Edit as Administrator” to open folder or edit file via root. Or when you trying to access another user folder in system, and even using nautilus admin://, gedit admin://, or other commands in your script or console.

It usually outputs an error look like this:

GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.PolicyKit1.Error.Failed: Unix process subject does not have uid set

The issue is caused by a gvfs commit to fix flatpak app network permission requirement problem. To get rid of the error (see bug), reverting just that one commit could be a workaround.

Method 1: Install old GVfs from Ubuntu 20.10 repository:

You can download & install the gvfs .deb packages for the previous Ubuntu 20.10. And here are the links for 64-bit system:

gvfs_1.46.1-1ubuntu1_amd64.deb

gvfs-libs_1.46.1-1ubuntu1_amd64.deb

gvfs-fuse_1.46.1-1ubuntu1_amd64.deb

gvfs-daemons_1.46.1-1ubuntu1_amd64.deb

gvfs-common_1.46.1-1ubuntu1_all.deb

gvfs-backends_1.46.1-1ubuntu1_amd64.deb

Grab the 6 packages, then open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install all of them:

sudo apt install ./Downloads/gvfs*.deb

Method 2: upgrade GVfs via PPA (recommend):

Upstream has fixed the issue by releasing GVfs 1.48.1. Ubuntu somehow stuck at v1.47.91 in Ubuntu 21.10 & 21.04.

Besides building from the source, I’ve uploaded it into this PPA to make life easier.

1. Open terminal either by searching from activities overview screen or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/gvfs

2. Then either upgrade GVfs via “Software Updater” or run the apt command in terminal:

sudo apt install gvfs

After installing the new packages, Log out and back in to apply change.

How to Restore GVfs to stock version:

If you change mind, and want to revert it back, simply run command in terminal to purge the PPA which will downgrade the installed packages:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/gvfs

That’s all. Enjoy!

In Howtos

Quiet Audio Fade – Get The Quietest Volume Level for Work

Last updated: April 13, 2021

Quiet Audio Fade (aka Quite AF) is a small applet slowly reduces the volume on your computer over time, letting you find the quietest level that works.

It’s f.lux for your ears!

The tool is written in Go programming language, and it works in Windows, Linux, and Mac OS.

It works as a system tray indicator with only a few menu options. The first option shows the current tool status (ACTIVE or PAUSED) along with the volume level in number.

When it’s in ACTIVE mode, it slowly decreases your system volume bit by bit with time interval set in “Speed” option. Higher intervals mean a longer, more subtle decrease.

Eventually you’ll notice the sound is a tad too low and you’ll increase the volume, which will disable Quiet AF and leave your volume at the perfect level – not too loud, not too quiet!

How to Get Quiet Audio Fade in Ubuntu:

Besides building from source tarball, the applet offers single executable file in its project page:

Quiet AF Releases

Grab the package for Ubuntu, and give executable permission in file’s Properties dialog.

You’re finally able to start it via command in terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):

./Downloads/QuietAF_Ubuntu

If you prefer the applet, you can move the executable file to /usr/local/bin, manually create app shortcut, or add it as startup application.

In App Review

How to Install CopyQ Clipboard Manager 4.0.0 in Ubuntu 20.04

Last updated: April 12, 2021

The CopyQ clipboard manager released version 4.0.0 a day ago. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 21.04, Ubuntu 18.04 via PPA.

CopyQ is a free and open-source clipboard manager with editing and scripting features. The new 4.0.0 release features new script engine with some new functions, better ECMAScript support, improved performance.

The release also adds Wayland support and bash completion script. Other changes include:

Update synchronization plugin to keep order of new items consistent between multiple instances.
Search multiple words in any order
Use system notification popups.
Item rows set to 1 by default in main window and tray menu
Tags can be “locked” in configuration.
Web plugin removed.
New advanced options allow to set intervals and wait times for copying,
pasting and window focus.