{"id":37401,"date":"2022-02-12T15:59:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-12T15:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/?p=37401"},"modified":"2024-06-17T07:35:16","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T07:35:16","slug":"install-signal-ubuntu-debian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/2022\/02\/install-signal-ubuntu-debian\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Install Signal Private Messenger App in Ubuntu 24.04, 22.04 &#038; Debian 12"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-icon.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-37402\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-icon-250x250.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-icon-250x250.webp 250w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-icon-300x300.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-icon-600x600.webp 600w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-icon-768x768.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-icon.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This simple tutorial shows how to install the desktop app of the Signal private messenger in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, and Debian in 2 official ways. It should also work on their based systems, e.g., Linux Mint, Elementary OS, Kali Linux, and more.<\/p>\n<p>Signal Desktop app is available to install in Ubuntu through <b>3 different ways<\/b>. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Native <code>.deb<\/code> package. <b>official<\/b>, <b>Intel\/AMD only<\/b>, <b>NOT easy to install for beginners<\/b>.<\/li>\n<li>Snap package. <b>unofficial<\/b>, for <b>Intel\/AMD and RAM (e.g., Raspi)<\/b>, <b>very easy to install<\/b> but run in sandbox.<\/li>\n<li>Flatpak package. <b>unofficial<\/b>, <b>Intel\/AMD only<\/b>, <b>easy to install<\/b> but run in sandbox.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_46756\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-desktop-screenshot.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-46756\" class=\"size-large wp-image-46756\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-desktop-screenshot-700x427.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"372\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-desktop-screenshot-700x427.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-desktop-screenshot-300x183.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-desktop-screenshot-768x468.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-desktop-screenshot.webp 804w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-46756\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image from https:\/\/snapcraft.io\/signal-desktop<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3>Method 1: Install Signal Desktop via Apt Repository:<\/h3>\n<p>The desktop app has an official apt repository that contains the software packages as native <code>.deb<\/code> for <b>64-bit<\/b> (Intel\/AMD platforms) Ubuntu and Debian based systems.<\/p>\n<h4>1. Get the gpg key:<\/h4>\n<p>Firstly, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open up a terminal window (or search for and open it from start menu). Then, <b>run single command<\/b> below:<\/p>\n<pre>wget -qO - https:\/\/updates.signal.org\/desktop\/apt\/keys.asc | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee \/etc\/apt\/keyrings\/signal-desktop-keyring.gpg &gt; \/dev\/null<\/pre>\n<p>This command will use <code>wget<\/code> command line downloading tool to download the key file. Then dearmor it, thus more secure and unreadable. Finally, save the key file as <code>signal-desktop-keyring.gpg<\/code> under <code>\/etc\/apt\/keyrings<\/code> directory.<\/p>\n<p>After that, you may run <code>ls \/etc\/apt\/keyrings<\/code> command to list that directory content and verify if the key file is properly saved there.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-keyring.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-46753\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-keyring-700x301.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-keyring-700x301.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-keyring-300x129.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-keyring.webp 706w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4>2. Add Signal apt repository:<\/h4>\n<p>Now add the apt repository by creating new config file <code>signal-xenial.list<\/code> under &#8216;\/etc\/apt\/sources.list.d&#8217; directory. And, add source URL and specify arch and signed key.<\/p>\n<p>All this can be done via the single command below:<\/p>\n<pre>echo 'deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=\/etc\/apt\/keyrings\/signal-desktop-keyring.gpg] https:\/\/updates.signal.org\/desktop\/apt xenial main' | sudo tee -a \/etc\/apt\/sources.list.d\/signal-xenial.list<\/pre>\n<p><i>NOTE the package works on all Ubuntu\/Debian releases, though it publishes packages through &#8216;xenial&#8217; release.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-repo-1.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-46754\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-repo-1-700x373.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"325\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-repo-1-700x373.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-repo-1-300x160.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-repo-1.webp 706w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4>3. Install Signal:<\/h4>\n<p>Finally, update package cache by running command in terminal:<\/p>\n<pre>sudo apt update<\/pre>\n<p>In the terminal output, you will see something look like &#8220;<i>Get\/Hit: https:\/\/updates.signal.org\/desktop\/apt &#8230;<\/i>&#8220;. Meaning, it successfully fetched package list from that repository.<\/p>\n<p>And then install the app package via command:<\/p>\n<pre>sudo apt install signal-desktop<\/pre>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/apt-signal.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-46755\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/apt-signal-700x465.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/apt-signal-700x465.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/apt-signal-300x199.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/apt-signal.webp 706w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>After installation, search for and open the app from overview screen, and scan the QR code via your phone to login:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/launch-signal.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-37407\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/launch-signal.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"533\" height=\"252\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/launch-signal.jpg 533w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/launch-signal-300x142.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>For updates of the <code>.deb<\/code> package, either use <b>Software Updater<\/b> or do the last 2 <code>apt<\/code> command again and again.<\/p>\n<h3>Method 2: Install Signal Desktop as Snap:<\/h3>\n<p>For beginners, the easiest way to install app is using the Snap package, which however runs in sandbox environment. It&#8217;s maintained by <a href=\"https:\/\/snapcraft.io\/signal-desktop\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">community contributors<\/a>, and supports Intel, AMD, and ARM devices.<\/p>\n<p>To install the package, just launch Ubuntu Software or App Center depends, then search &#038; install &#8220;Signal Desktop&#8221;:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-appcenter.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-appcenter-700x451.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"393\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-46757\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-appcenter-700x451.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-appcenter-300x193.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-appcenter-768x495.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/signal-appcenter.webp 1011w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Method 3: Install Signal Desktop as Flatpak:<\/h3>\n<p>If you&#8217;re OK with the universal <a href=\"https:\/\/flathub.org\/apps\/org.signal.Signal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Flatpak package<\/a> that runs in sandbox, things can be a bit easy. However, it takes more disk space due to run-time libraries!<\/p>\n<p>Firstly, open terminal and run command to install the flatpak daemon:<\/p>\n<pre>sudo apt install flatpak<\/pre>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/apt-flatpak.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-10296\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/apt-flatpak-600x102.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"102\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/apt-flatpak-600x102.jpg 600w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/apt-flatpak-450x77.jpg 450w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/apt-flatpak.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Next, install the messenger as Flatpak:<\/p>\n<pre>flatpak install https:\/\/dl.flathub.org\/repo\/appstream\/org.signal.Signal.flatpakref<a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-signaldesktop.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-37406\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-signaldesktop-600x410.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-signaldesktop-600x410.webp 600w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-signaldesktop-300x205.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-signaldesktop-768x525.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-signaldesktop.webp 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/pre>\n<p>After installation, you may need log out and back in to make app icon visible.<\/p>\n<p>For updates of the Flatpak package, use command:<\/p>\n<pre>flatpak update org.signal.Signal<\/pre>\n<h3>How to Remove Signal Desktop:<\/h3>\n<p>To remove the apt package, use command:<\/p>\n<pre>sudo apt remove --autoremove signal-desktop<\/pre>\n<p>For the apt repository as well as the GPG key, remove the associated config file via commands:<\/p>\n<pre>sudo rm \/etc\/apt\/sources.list.d\/signal-xenial.list<\/pre>\n<pre>sudo rm \/etc\/apt\/keyrings\/signal-desktop-keyring.gpg<\/pre>\n<p>Finally, run <code>sudo apt update<\/code> to refresh your system package cache.<\/p>\n<p>For the Snap package, either use Ubuntu Software (App Center) to uninstall, or run command in terminal:<\/p>\n<pre>snap remove --purge signal-desktop<\/pre>\n<p>To remove the Flatpak package, use this command instead:<\/p>\n<pre>flatpak uninstall --delete-data org.signal.Signal<\/pre>\n<p>And remove unused run-time libraries via <code>flatpak uninstall --unused<\/code>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This simple tutorial shows how to install the desktop app of the Signal private messenger in Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, and Debian in 2 official ways. It should also work on their based systems, e.g., Linux Mint, Elementary OS, Kali Linux, and more. Signal Desktop app is available to install in Ubuntu through [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[1887],"class_list":["post-37401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-howtos","tag-messenger"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}