How to Install Discord on Debian (13, 12, 11)

Discord is a communication platform for voice channels, video calls, text chat, and community servers. When you install Discord on Debian, you gain access to screen sharing, custom emojis, bot integrations, server roles, file sharing, and cross-platform messaging for gaming communities, developer teams, and online groups.

This guide walks through three ways to install Discord on Debian, each with different trade-offs for updates and system isolation. Every method includes verification, update, and removal steps.

Choose Your Discord Installation Method for Debian

Discord offers three installation paths on Debian, each with different update mechanisms and isolation levels.

Method	Channel	Version	Updates	Best For
.deb Package	Official Site	Latest stable	Manual re-download when Discord prompts	Direct system integration, official package
Snap	Snapcraft	Latest stable	Automatic background updates	Hands-off updates, universal compatibility
Flatpak	Flathub	Latest stable	Automatic through Flathub	Sandboxed isolation, granular permissions

Snap and Flatpak handle Discord updates automatically. The .deb method requires manual re-downloading when Discord notifies you of a new version. Choose based on your preference for system integration, sandboxing level, and desktop environment compatibility.

Discord is available on 64-bit Debian systems (amd64/x86_64 architecture). If you run Debian on ARM boards or 32-bit hardware, use Discord in your web browser such as Google Chrome or Firefox since no native packages are provided for those architectures.

Install Discord on Debian

Before installing Discord, update your package index and upgrade existing packages to avoid dependency conflicts:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

This guide uses sudo for commands that need root privileges. If your user is not in the sudoers file yet, run the commands as root or follow the guide on how to add a user to sudoers on Debian.

Method 1: Install Discord via .deb Package

This method installs Discord as a system-level Debian package downloaded directly from Discord’s official website. You will download the .deb file using wget and install it with APT.

Download Discord .deb Package on Debian

Search for “Terminal” in Activities and open it, then run the following command to download the latest Discord .deb package:

wget "https://discord.com/api/download?platform=linux&format=deb" -O discord.deb

This command uses wget to download the Discord Debian package from the official Discord API. The -O discord.deb flag specifies the output filename so the package saves with a readable name.

Install Discord via .deb Package on Debian

After the download completes, install the Discord Debian package:

sudo apt install ./discord.deb -y

APT resolves the dependencies bundled with the .deb file and installs Discord system-wide. The -y flag skips confirmation prompts.

Verify the installation by checking the installed package:

apt list --installed discord

discord/now 0.0.123 amd64 [installed,local]

Method 2: Install Discord via Snap

Snap provides Discord in a sandboxed environment with automatic background updates. Before installing Discord through Snap, ensure Snapd is installed on your Debian system.

Install Snapd on Debian (If Needed)

Snapd is not included in standard Debian installations. For a complete setup guide, follow our Snapd installation guide for Debian before proceeding with Discord.

For a quick Snapd setup, run these commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install snapd -y

Once installation completes, enable the snapd service:

sudo systemctl enable --now snapd.socket

Install the core snap to set up the base runtime environment:

sudo snap install core

Install Discord Using Snap on Debian

Once Snap is ready, install Discord with a single command:

sudo snap install discord

This command downloads and installs Discord from the Snap Store. Updates happen automatically in the background.

Verify the Snap installation:

snap list discord

Name     Version  Rev    Tracking       Publisher   Notes
discord  0.0.123  185    latest/stable  discord✓    -

Method 3: Install Discord via Flatpak and Flathub

Flatpak provides a sandboxed application environment, allowing Discord to run isolated from system libraries. This method requires adding the Flathub repository.

If Flatpak is missing from your system, follow the How to Install Flatpak on Debian guide before proceeding with Discord.

Add the Flathub Repository on Debian

Add the Flathub repository before installing Discord via Flatpak:

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

This command registers Flathub as a Flatpak remote, enabling access to Discord and thousands of other applications.

Install Discord via Flatpak on Debian

With Flathub added, install Discord:

sudo flatpak install flathub com.discordapp.Discord -y

This command installs Discord from Flathub system-wide. Flatpak runs Discord in a sandboxed environment, isolating it from the rest of your system for better security. The -y flag skips confirmation prompts.

Verify the Flatpak installation:

flatpak list --app | grep Discord

Discord    com.discordapp.Discord    0.0.123    stable    flathub

Launch Discord on Debian via Desktop or Terminal

Once installation is complete, launch Discord from the terminal or your desktop environment using the method that matches your installation approach.

Launch Discord from the Terminal on Debian

Launch Discord from the terminal using the command that matches your installation method:

For .deb installations:

discord

For Snap installations:

snap run discord

For Flatpak installations:

flatpak run com.discordapp.Discord

GUI Method to Launch Discord on Debian

Launch Discord from your desktop environment by opening Activities, selecting Show Applications (the grid icon), and clicking the Discord icon. Discord appears in your Applications menu automatically after installation. If Discord is not immediately visible, type “Discord” in the search bar at the top of the application menu.

Manage Discord Updates and Removal on Debian

Update Discord

Discord handles in-client updates automatically for most features. However, binary package upgrades require manual intervention that depends on your installation method.

.deb Discord Update Method

For .deb installations, Discord will notify you when a new version is available. When this happens, re-download and reinstall the package:

wget "https://discord.com/api/download?platform=linux&format=deb" -O discord.deb
sudo apt install ./discord.deb -y

Snap Discord Update Method

For Discord installed using Snap, updates happen automatically in the background. However, you can also manually trigger an update check:

sudo snap refresh discord

Flatpak Discord Update Method

To update Discord installed via Flatpak:

sudo flatpak update

Remove Discord

Should you need to remove Discord from your Debian system, use the command that matches your installation method.

.deb Discord Remove Method

For .deb installations:

sudo apt remove discord
sudo apt autoremove

The autoremove command cleans up orphaned dependencies that were installed alongside Discord.

Snap Discord Remove Method

For Snap installations, run:

sudo snap remove --purge discord

Flatpak Discord Remove Method

For Flatpak installations:

sudo flatpak uninstall --delete-data com.discordapp.Discord -y

After removing Discord with any method, you can optionally delete leftover user data:

rm -rf ~/.config/discord

Snap and Flatpak store application data in their own sandboxed directories. The snap remove --purge and flatpak uninstall --delete-data commands already clean up their respective data. The ~/.config/discord directory applies to .deb installations.

Conclusion

Your Debian system now runs Discord with full access to voice channels, video calls, and text messaging. Keep your chosen update and removal commands on hand for ongoing maintenance, and explore related guides for Telegram, Slack, Zoom, or Steam on Debian.