How to Install Android Studio on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04

Keeping Android tooling current matters on Ubuntu because emulator fixes, Gradle support, and IDE updates move faster than many ordinary desktop packages. If you want to install Android Studio on Ubuntu, the strongest choices right now are Flathub for the newest packaged build, the Maarten Fonville PPA for an APT-managed path, or Snap if you already rely on Snap and do not mind its stable channel trailing upstream.

Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04 all need an external package source for Android Studio. The IDE is not currently available in Ubuntu’s default repositories on those releases, and it still needs an active graphical session even though every method below installs from a terminal. Google also publishes an official Linux tar.gz on the Android Studio download page, but the packaged methods here are easier to update and remove on Ubuntu.

Install Android Studio on Ubuntu

Before choosing a package source, confirm the machine fits Android Studio’s Linux requirements. Use an x86_64/amd64 desktop system for the packaged methods below; Google’s current Linux requirements list 64-bit Linux with glibc 2.31 or later, at least 8 GB of RAM for the IDE, and more memory plus CPU virtualization when you use the Android Emulator. Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04, and 26.04 meet the glibc requirement, but ARM-based Linux machines are not currently supported by Google’s Linux build.

Refresh Ubuntu’s package metadata before you add a repository or install a large developer tool:

sudo apt update

These commands use sudo for system-wide changes. If your account does not have sudo access yet, follow this guide to add a new user to sudoers on Ubuntu before continuing.

Do not confuse Android Studio with Ubuntu’s separate android-sdk, adb, and fastboot packages. Those Universe packages provide command-line Android tools, not the Android Studio IDE. Use Android Studio’s setup wizard and SDK Manager after first launch unless you intentionally need distro-packaged CLI-only tooling.

Three maintained installation paths are worth considering on Ubuntu:

Method	Source	Channel	Updates	Best Fit
Flatpak	Flathub	Flathub stable, currently the newest packaged build in this guide	Managed with `flatpak update`	Users who want one current package across Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04
PPA (APT)	Launchpad PPA	APT metapackage, currently behind Flathub	Managed with `apt`	Users who want APT-managed updates and native menu integration
Snap	Snapcraft	Snap latest/stable, currently behind the other packaged paths	Automatic via Snap	Users who already prefer Snap and want the simplest desktop install

Start with Flatpak when freshness matters most, use the PPA when APT integration matters more, and keep Snap for systems where Snap is already your preferred desktop package format.

Install Android Studio from Flathub

Flathub currently carries the newest packaged Android Studio build in this guide, but the Flathub listing is a community package rather than Google’s official Linux archive.

Ubuntu does not ship Flatpak by default. If flatpak is not installed yet, follow this guide to install Flatpak on Ubuntu and add the Flathub remote first.

sudo flatpak install flathub com.google.AndroidStudio -y

Android Studio needs broad access to your home directory, devices, and the network for SDK downloads, emulators, and hardware debugging, so the Flatpak sandbox is looser than a lightweight desktop utility. The advantage is that you still get one current package path across every Ubuntu release in scope.

Verify the installed Flatpak with:

flatpak info com.google.AndroidStudio

Relevant output includes:

Android Open Source Project - IDE for Android app development

          ID: com.google.AndroidStudio
         Ref: app/com.google.AndroidStudio/x86_64/stable
        Arch: x86_64
      Branch: stable
     Version: 2025.3.4.7
      Origin: flathub
Installation: system

Install Android Studio from the PPA

The Maarten Fonville PPA gives you an APT-managed package that currently resolves on Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04, and 22.04. Its android-studio metapackage currently resolves to 2025.2.3.9 across those releases, newer than the Snap stable channel but behind the current Flathub build. It is still a third-party repository rather than an Ubuntu default package.

Minimal Ubuntu images can be missing add-apt-repository. If that command is not available on your system, install the helper first:

sudo apt install software-properties-common -y

Add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:maarten-fonville/android-studio -y

Relevant output includes:

Get:17 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/maarten-fonville/android-studio/ubuntu resolute InRelease [20.3 kB]
Get:18 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/maarten-fonville/android-studio/ubuntu resolute/main amd64 Packages [884 B]
Get:19 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/maarten-fonville/android-studio/ubuntu resolute/main Translation-en [292 B]

Install the package:

sudo apt install android-studio -y

After installation, verify the package status:

apt-cache policy android-studio

Relevant output includes:

android-studio:
  Installed: 2025.2.3.9~resolute+0
  Candidate: 2025.2.3.9~resolute+0
  Version table:
 *** 2025.2.3.9~resolute+0 500
        500 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/maarten-fonville/android-studio/ubuntu resolute/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

This package downloads Google’s official Linux tar.gz into /opt during installation and verifies the archive checksum before unpacking it. It adds a desktop launcher and an /opt/android-studio symlink, but it does not place android-studio on your PATH.

After installation, verify the launcher path instead of expecting a shell command:

ls -d /opt/android-studio /usr/share/applications/android-studio.desktop

Relevant output includes:

/opt/android-studio
/usr/share/applications/android-studio.desktop

Install Android Studio from Snap

Snap is the quickest path on a standard Ubuntu desktop because Snap is already available there, but the stable channel currently trails the Flathub and PPA builds. The package is also maintained by the Snapcrafters community rather than by Google.

sudo snap install android-studio --classic

The --classic flag gives Android Studio the broad filesystem and toolchain access it needs for SDK management, emulators, and device debugging.

Verify the installed Snap with:

snap list android-studio

Relevant output includes:

Name            Version                Rev  Tracking       Publisher      Notes
android-studio  2025.1.3.7-wallpapers  209  latest/stable  snapcrafters*  classic

Android Studio bundles its own JDK, so you do not need Java just to open the IDE. If you also need a system JDK for command-line Gradle builds or other Android tooling, follow these guides to install OpenJDK 21 on Ubuntu and set the Java environment path on Ubuntu.

Launch Android Studio on Ubuntu

Launch Android Studio from the Terminal

The launch command depends on the method you installed. Flatpak uses the app ID, the PPA build lives under /opt/android-studio, and the Snap command is safest through snap run because it does not depend on your shell already seeing /snap/bin.

# Flatpak
flatpak run com.google.AndroidStudio

# PPA
/opt/android-studio/bin/studio.sh

# Snap
snap run android-studio

Launch Android Studio from the Applications Menu

If you prefer the desktop launcher, open Activities, search for Android Studio, and start it from the application results.

Open the Activities overview from your Ubuntu desktop.
Type Android Studio into the search field.
Select the Android Studio icon to start the IDE.

Complete the Android Studio Setup Wizard

The first launch walks through Android SDK licenses, UI theme choices, and the initial SDK component download. Expect that first setup to pull down additional SDK and emulator content, so give it a stable network connection and enough free disk space for the Android toolchains you plan to install.

Accept the SDK license agreements when prompted. Once the wizard finishes, Android Studio opens at the welcome screen where you can create a new project or import an existing one. Google’s Build your first Android app codelab is a good next step if you want a current starter project after the IDE opens.

Update Android Studio on Ubuntu

Each package format uses its own update path. Snap can refresh automatically, while Flatpak and APT are usually updated when you run them explicitly or through your normal desktop update workflow.

Update the Android Studio Flatpak

Use this command when you want to pull the latest Flathub build immediately:

sudo flatpak update com.google.AndroidStudio -y

Update the Android Studio PPA Build

The metapackage upgrade path stays simple even though the PPA uses a versioned package behind the scenes:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade android-studio

Update the Android Studio Snap

Snap refreshes automatically, but this command forces an immediate check:

sudo snap refresh android-studio

Troubleshoot Android Studio on Ubuntu

Check KVM Acceleration for the Android Studio Emulator

If the Android Emulator starts slowly or refuses to boot accelerated images, install the KVM checker and confirm that hardware acceleration is available:

sudo apt install cpu-checker -y
sudo kvm-ok

Relevant output includes:

INFO: /dev/kvm exists
KVM acceleration can be used

If the command reports that KVM acceleration cannot be used, enable VT-x or AMD-V in your firmware settings, or enable nested virtualization if Ubuntu is running inside another hypervisor. Then install the current Ubuntu KVM support packages:

sudo apt install qemu-system-x86 libvirt-daemon-system libvirt-clients bridge-utils -y

Add your user to the KVM group, and add the libvirt group only on Ubuntu releases where that group exists. Then sign out and back in before starting the emulator again:

sudo usermod -aG kvm "$USER"
if getent group libvirt >/dev/null; then
    sudo usermod -aG libvirt "$USER"
fi

Raise Gradle Memory Limits in Android Studio

Large Android projects can exhaust the default Gradle heap. If builds are failing with memory errors, add a higher JVM heap limit to the project’s gradle.properties file:

org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx4096m

Start with 4096 MB, then increase it only if your project still runs out of memory during sync or build tasks.

Remove Android Studio from Ubuntu

Use the removal path that matches the package format you installed. Package removal gets rid of the application itself, while the last section helps you clean up optional SDK and IDE data in your home directory.

Remove the Android Studio Flatpak

For the system-scope Flatpak method used above, remove the app with:

sudo flatpak remove com.google.AndroidStudio -y

Verify the Flatpak is gone with:

flatpak list --system --app --columns=application | grep -Fx com.google.AndroidStudio || echo "Android Studio system Flatpak not installed"

Relevant output includes:

Android Studio system Flatpak not installed

Remove the Android Studio PPA Build

Review APT’s removal list before confirming. On a clean Android Studio PPA install, this removes the metapackage and its automatically installed versioned dependency:

sudo apt remove --autoremove android-studio

Verify the package is no longer installed:

dpkg-query -W -f='${db:Status-Abbrev} ${binary:Package}\n' 'android-studio*' 2>/dev/null | grep '^ii' || echo "No installed Android Studio PPA packages found"

Relevant output includes:

No installed Android Studio PPA packages found

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:maarten-fonville/android-studio -y
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/maarten-fonville-ubuntu-android-studio.gpg /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/maarten-fonville-ubuntu-android-studio.gpg~
sudo apt update

Ubuntu 22.04 can leave the helper-generated trust files after add-apt-repository --remove; the exact rm -f command above removes only the Android Studio PPA trust files when they exist. After removing the source, confirm APT no longer sees the Android Studio PPA:

apt-cache policy android-studio 2>/dev/null | grep -F "ppa.launchpadcontent.net/maarten-fonville/android-studio" || echo "Android Studio PPA source not active"

Relevant output includes:

Android Studio PPA source not active

Remove the Android Studio Snap

Remove the Snap package without keeping a Snap recovery snapshot:

sudo snap remove --purge android-studio

Verify the Snap is gone with:

snap list android-studio 2>/dev/null || echo "android-studio snap not installed"

Relevant output includes:

android-studio snap not installed

Review KVM Group Membership

If you added your user to KVM or libvirt groups only for the Android Emulator and no longer use local virtualization tools, remove that group access separately. Skip this step if other virtual machines, emulators, or development tools still need KVM or libvirt access.

if id -nG "$USER" | tr ' ' '\n' | grep -qx kvm; then
    sudo gpasswd -d "$USER" kvm
fi
if getent group libvirt >/dev/null && id -nG "$USER" | tr ' ' '\n' | grep -qx libvirt; then
    sudo gpasswd -d "$USER" libvirt
fi

Sign out and back in before checking your group membership again.

Find Android Studio User Data Before Deleting It

These directories can include downloaded SDK platforms, emulator images, and local IDE settings. Back up anything you still need before deleting them.

Because Android Studio creates most of its profile and SDK directories only after first launch, check what actually exists in your account before removing anything:

find "$HOME" -maxdepth 4 \( -path "$HOME/.android" -o -path "$HOME/Android" -o -path "$HOME/.config/Google/AndroidStudio*" -o -path "$HOME/.cache/Google/AndroidStudio*" -o -path "$HOME/.local/share/Google/AndroidStudio*" -o -path "$HOME/.var/app/com.google.AndroidStudio" -o -path "$HOME/snap/android-studio" \) -print

Relevant output can include:

/home/your-user/.android
/home/your-user/Android
/home/your-user/.config/Google/AndroidStudio2025.2
/home/your-user/.cache/Google/AndroidStudio2025.2
/home/your-user/.local/share/Google/AndroidStudio2025.2
/home/your-user/.var/app/com.google.AndroidStudio
/home/your-user/snap/android-studio

If the command prints nothing, there is no remaining Android Studio data in these common locations for that account. Delete only the paths it lists, for example:

rm -rf "$HOME/.android" "$HOME/Android"
rm -rf "$HOME"/.config/Google/AndroidStudio* "$HOME"/.cache/Google/AndroidStudio* "$HOME"/.local/share/Google/AndroidStudio*
rm -rf "$HOME/.var/app/com.google.AndroidStudio" "$HOME/snap/android-studio"

Conclusion

Android Studio on Ubuntu is ready once the package source matches your update workflow: Flatpak for the newest packaged build, the PPA for APT integration, or Snap when its slower stable channel is acceptable. After the IDE opens, use the setup wizard to download SDK components, then check KVM acceleration if the emulator feels slow. If you also need a system JDK outside the IDE, install OpenJDK 21 on Ubuntu and set the Java environment path on Ubuntu before you build from the terminal.