UbuntuHandbook | Tag Archive | Free Accounting Software

Archives For November 30, 1999

How to Install GnuCash (5.4 Updated) in Ubuntu 22.04, 20.04

Last updated: September 30, 2023

This simple tutorial shows how to install GnuCash, the personal and small-business financial-accounting software, in all current Ubuntu releases including Ubuntu 23.10, Ubuntu 23.04, Ubuntu 22.04 and Ubuntu 20.04

GnuCash is available in Ubuntu repository, but old. For the latest release, you may install it via either Flatpak package or an Ubuntu PPA.

At the moment of writing, the latest version is GnuCash 5.4, and the changes are available in this page.

Method 1: Install GnuCash from Ubuntu repository

The package in system repository is old, but supported by Ubuntu Team, and available in all supported CPU architecture types, including x86_64, Arm 64/hf, ppc64el, riscv64, s390x.

To install the package, simply press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. Then, run command:

sudo apt install gnucash

Run sudo apt update if package not found, and type user password (no asterisk feedback) for sudo authentication.

Method 2: Install latest GnuCash via Flatpak package

For the latest version, so far GnuCash 5.4, the official website refers to the Flatpak package. It can install in most Linux, though runs in sandbox! And, it supports both X86_64 and Arm 64 CPU architecture types.

1.) Open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install flatpak framework:

sudo apt install flatpak

Type your password (no visual feedback) for sudo prompts and hit Enter.

2.) Then install the latest GnuCash as Flatpak package, by running command:

flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/org.gnucash.GnuCash.flatpakref

NOTE: First time installing a Flatpak app, may also install hundreds MB of runtime libraries. And, you may need to log out and back in to make the app icon visible.

Method 3: Install latest GnuCash via Ubuntu PPA

Want the latest version but hate running app in sandbox? The popular Xtradeb Apps PPA contains the package with support for Ubuntu 22.04 and Ubuntu 23.04 so far.

It’s native .deb package, though only support X86_64 architecture type (the common Intel & AMD CPUs).

1. First, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal. When terminal opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:xtradeb/apps

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

2. If you’re following this tutorial in Linux Mint 21, then you have to manually refresh system package cache after adding PPA, which’s done automatically in Ubuntu.

sudo apt update

3. Finally, install the financial-accounting software by running command:

sudo apt install gnucash

After installation, search for and launch the software from either applications menu or the overview screen depends on your desktop environment.

Uninstall GnuCash

Depends on how you installed the software package, remove it by running either command below.

For the package installed via apt command in ‘Method 1’ and ‘Method 3’, open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to remove it:

sudo apt remove --autoremove gnucash

Also, remove the Ubuntu PPA from your system by running command:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:xtradeb/apps

For the software installed via Flatpak package, run the command below instead to remove it:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data org.gnucash.GnuCash

Also run flatpak uninstall --unused to remove useless leftovers.

In Howtos, News Free Accounting Software, GnuCash

GnuCash 3.4 Released with Tons of Bug-fixes / Improvements

Last updated: January 2, 2019

Free accounting software GnuCash 3.4 was released a few days ago with tons of bug-fixes and improvements. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu 18.04, Ubuntu 18.10.

According to the release note, GnuCash 3.4 redesigned gnc-uri-utils, cleaned up more report code, improved toolbar buttons, text options widget, and fixed a large number of bugs.

How to Install GnuCash 3.4 in Ubuntu 18.04:

While GnuCash flatpak package is still at version 3.2, you can install the latest 3.4 release via an unofficial PPA for Ubuntu 18.04 and Ubuntu 18.10.

1. Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut key. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:sicklylife/gnucash

Type user password (no asterisks feedback) for sudo prompts and hit Enter.

2. Then either upgrade GnuCash via Software Updater, or install it via command:

sudo apt install gnucash

Uninstall:

To remove GnuCash 3.4, run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove gnucash

And remove the PPA via Software & Updates -> Other Software.

In Howtos, News Free Accounting Software, GnuCash

GnuCash 2.6.19 Released! How to Install it in Ubuntu

Last updated: December 18, 2017

The nineteenth maintenance release of GnuCash 2.6 stable series was announced 2 days ago. Here’s how to install it in all current Ubuntu releases.

Bugs fixed in GnuCash 2.6.19:

Disabling OFX, AqBanking or python-bindings support cripples the dist build target
FTBFS with libdbi 0.9.0-5 on Debian: DBI error
Set Invoice/Bill items date correctly from imported CSV
A better way to handle MySQL’s 0000-00-00 invalid date indicator.
Fix python build and test errors on Mac.
Add translator hint comments to C and glade files.
Improve type of bank accounts in SKR03
Stop testing GObject’s handling of invalid parameters

How to Install GnuCash 2.6.19 via Snap in Ubuntu:

For Ubuntu 16.04 and higher, GnuCash now is available as Snap package (run in sandbox).

Simply search for and install it from Ubuntu Software (need login with Ubuntu One account).

Or open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command to install the snap:

snap install gnucash-jz

The snapped package co-exists with traditional application. To remove it, run command:

sudo snap remove gnucash-jz

How to Install GnuCash 2.6.19 via PPA in Ubuntu:

For those who prefer traditional packages, you can install GnuCash 2.6.19 from the unofficial PPA, since the getdeb repository has not been updated for a period of time.

1. Open terminal via Ctrl+Alt+T and run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/gnucash

Input your password (no visual feedback) when it prompts. Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 17.04, Ubuntu 17.10, and Ubuntu 18.04 are supported.

2. Then upgrade the software from an existing release via Software Updater:

or simply run commands one by one in terminal:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install gnucash

Uninstall:

To remove the financial-accounting software, open terminal and run command:

sudo apt-get remove --autoremove gnucash

And remove the PPA via Software & Updates utility under ‘Other Software’ tab.

In Howtos, News Free Accounting Software, GnuCash

Free Accounting Software GnuCash 2.6.0 Stable Released

Last updated: July 25, 2014

The latest stable release of GnuCash, a personal and small-business financial-accounting software now is at version 2.6.x, announced on 29th Dec 2013.

What’s New in GnuCash 2.6:

New Features:

Preferences have been migrated from GConf to GSettings. This is a simpler and more robust backend which writes to the OS’s native prefs — defaults on OS X and the Registry on MSWindows — and allows us to remove several troublesome dependencies including GConf, ORBit, and DBus. The change includes a migration script that will run at Gnucash startup.

New date handling which allows GnuCash to use dates after March 2038.

Guile-2 compatibility: GnuCash now requires either Guile-1.8 or Guile-2.0 Documents outside of GnuCash, images of receipts for example, can now be linked to transactions, with the facility of opening them in the default application for the document type.

Cutsom Reports can now be saved without renaming the report, and modifications can overwrite an existing report.

The import assistant now finishes much more quickly after assigning contra-accounts.

GnuCash now requires Gtk+-2.24.0 and GLib-2.26.0. Most of the dependencies on obsolete libraries have been removed; only libgnomecanvas remains. Unfortunately the effort to rewrite the register code to use GtkTreeModel wasn’t completed in time, so GnuCash is not on the cusp of converting to Gtk3.

The Business Module has been substantially revamped, including support for Credit Notes and import of customers and vendors from a CSV file.

The Num field in the register display is now optionally per-split, so for example a check number can be entered for the checking account split and an invoice number for the expense account split.

GnuCash can now open locked books read-only so that more than one user can view a file. GnuCash still does not support multiple simultaneous writers.

By agreement of all authors, GnuCash is now licensed under the GNU General Public License Version 2 or later rather than simply Version 2. This allows derivative works to be licensed under the GPL Version 3 if the author of such a work so desires.

Bug fixes since 2.5.10:

Asset account’s “total” value should use most recent transaction prices
libofx can supply broken UTF-8 for account id
GnuCash should sanitise UTF-8 before serialising files to avoid writing broken unparseable XML.
General Ledger – Can’t Enter Transaction Amounts
The Tip of the Day preference isn’t getting saved
New Book Tabs on Windows

Other Changes:

Don’t create a second account hierarchy page when cancelling the Hierarchy Assistant or when using Actions->New Account Hierarchy on an already open book.
Reset Warnings dialog: show translated warnings
The locale-names for Help and the Tutorial and Concepts Guide have been renamed to language-only so that, for example, someone using the Swiss-German locale will be shown help in German instead of English.