How to Install Discord on Ubuntu Linux

Fundamentally, Discord is a communication platform for creating communities with voice, video, and text chat. For instance, whether you’re coordinating with gaming teams, managing developer communities, or organizing study groups, Discord provides real-time voice channels, screen sharing, and persistent text channels. Ultimately, by the end of this guide, you’ll have Discord installed on Ubuntu with your preferred method, verified and ready to join servers and start conversations.

This guide covers three Ubuntu installation methods: the official .deb package for system-level installation, Snap for automatic updates in a sandboxed environment, or Flatpak with Flathub for another sandboxed option. Throughout this guide, you’ll learn installation procedures, update workflows, and removal steps for each method.

Choose Your Discord Installation Method

Currently, Discord offers three installation paths on Ubuntu, each with different update mechanisms and isolation levels. Therefore, before proceeding, choose the method that best fits your workflow and system preferences.

Method	Channel	Update Mechanism	Isolation	Best For
.deb Package	Discord Official	Manual reinstall required	System-level install	Users who prefer official packages with direct Discord support
Snap	Snapcraft	Automatic background updates	Sandboxed environment	Users who want hands-off updates with automatic security patches
Flatpak	Flathub	Manual update command	Sandboxed environment	Users who prefer Flathub ecosystem with granular permissions

First, the .deb method provides the official Discord package but requires manual updates. In contrast, Snap and Flatpak offer sandboxed installations with automatic or simpler update workflows; however, Snap provides the most hands-off experience.

This guide supports Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and 24.04 LTS installations. All three methods shown work on both supported LTS releases with identical commands. Discord’s official .deb package, Snapcraft, and Flathub all maintain current Ubuntu LTS support.

Method 1: Install Discord via .deb

Technically, this method installs Discord as a system-level Debian package downloaded directly from Discord’s official website. Specifically, you’ll download the .deb file using wget and install it with APT.

Download the Discord .deb for Ubuntu

Generally, most Ubuntu systems include wget by default, but minimal installations may lack it. However, if needed, install wget first:

sudo apt install wget -y

Download the latest version of Discord as a Debian package:

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

Functionally, this command uses wget to download the Discord Debian package from the official Discord API. Additionally, the -O discord.deb flag specifies the output filename.

Install Discord via .deb package

Subsequently, after the download completes, proceed to install the Discord Debian package:

sudo apt install ./discord.deb -y

Effectively, this command installs the downloaded discord.deb file. Simultaneously, the -y flag skips confirmation prompts.

Verify Discord .deb Installation

Next, confirm Discord installed successfully by checking the binary location and version:

which discord

Expected output:

/usr/bin/discord

Additionally, check the package status:

dpkg -l | grep discord

Expected output showing installed status:

ii  discord    0.0.118    amd64    Chat for Communities and Friends

Method 2: Install Discord via Snap

Alternatively, Snap provides Discord in a sandboxed environment with automatic background updates. Moreover, since Ubuntu ships with Snap pre-installed, this becomes the quickest installation method.

Install Discord using the snap command

Initially, to get started, install Discord with a single command:

sudo snap install discord

This command downloads and installs Discord from the Snap Store. Furthermore, updates happen automatically in the background.

Verify Discord Snap Installation

Following installation, confirm the Snap installation succeeded:

snap list | grep discord

Expected output showing Discord with version and publisher:

discord    0.0.118    174    latest/stable    snapcrafters    -

Method 3: Install Discord via Flatpak and Flathub

As another option, Flatpak provides a sandboxed application environment, allowing Discord to run isolated from system libraries. However, this method requires adding the Flathub repository before installation.

Flatpak is not pre-installed on Ubuntu. If you have not set it up yet, install it with sudo apt install flatpak and restart your session before continuing. For detailed setup including the Flathub repository, follow our Flatpak installation guide for Ubuntu.

Add the Flathub Repository for Discord

Before installing Discord via Flatpak, add the Flathub repository:

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

Essentially, this command adds Flathub to your system, which enables access to Discord and thousands of other applications.

Install Discord via Flatpak Command

Subsequently, after Flathub is added, you can proceed to install Discord:

sudo flatpak install flathub com.discordapp.Discord -y

Technically, this command installs Discord from Flathub system-wide. Meanwhile, the -y flag skips confirmation prompts.

Verify Discord Flatpak Installation

Next, confirm Discord installed from Flathub:

flatpak list --app | grep -i discord

Expected output showing application details:

Discord    com.discordapp.Discord    stable    system

Additionally, get detailed information about the installation:

flatpak info com.discordapp.Discord

Expected output confirming origin and version:

          ID: com.discordapp.Discord
         Ref: app/com.discordapp.Discord/x86_64/stable
        Arch: x86_64
      Branch: stable
      Origin: flathub
Installation: system

Launch Discord via GUI or CLI

CLI Methods to Launch Discord

Immediately after installation, launch Discord from the terminal using the command that matches your installation method:

First, for .deb installations, use:

discord

Alternatively, for Flatpak installations, run:

flatpak run com.discordapp.Discord

Similarly, for Snap installations, execute:

snap run discord

GUI Method to Launch Discord

Conversely, for everyday use, launch Discord from your desktop environment:

1. First, open the Activities menu.
2. Next, click on Show Applications.
3. Finally, locate and click on the Discord icon.

Update and Remove Discord

Update Discord

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

Update Discord via .deb Package

Specifically for .deb installations, Discord will notify you when a new version is available. Therefore, to update, 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

Update Discord via Snap

Conveniently, Snap updates Discord automatically in the background. However, to manually check for updates or force an immediate update:

sudo snap refresh discord

Alternatively, refresh all Snap packages:

sudo snap refresh

Update Discord via Flatpak

To specifically update Discord installed via Flatpak, run the following command:

sudo flatpak update com.discordapp.Discord

Otherwise, update all Flatpak applications:

sudo flatpak update

Remove Discord

Eventually, if you need to remove Discord from your Ubuntu system, use the command that matches your installation method.

Remove Discord via .deb Package

First, for .deb installations, remove the Discord package:

sudo apt remove --purge discord -y

Subsequently, remove unused dependencies that were installed with Discord:

sudo apt autoremove -y

Finally, verify removal:

which discord || echo "Discord successfully removed"

Remove Discord via Snap

Next, for Snap installations, remove Discord with the purge flag to delete all application data:

sudo snap remove --purge discord

Then, verify removal:

snap list | grep discord || echo "Discord successfully removed"

Remove Discord via Flatpak

Lastly, for Flatpak installations, uninstall Discord and delete all application data:

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

Also, remove unused runtimes and dependencies:

sudo flatpak uninstall --unused -y

Finally, verify removal:

flatpak list --app | grep discord || echo "Discord successfully removed"

Flatpak stores user data in ~/.var/app/com.discordapp.Discord/. If you want to remove all traces including cached files and settings, manually delete this directory after uninstalling.

Conclusion

In summary, Discord installs on Ubuntu through three distinct methods: the official .deb package for system-level access with manual updates, Snap for automatic background updates in a sandboxed environment, or Flatpak for controlled updates with Flathub integration. Furthermore, each method delivers the full Discord experience with voice, video, and text communication, though they differ in update workflows and isolation levels. Ultimately, your Ubuntu system now runs Discord with the installation method that best matches your maintenance preferences and security requirements.

Looking elsewhere, for alternative communication platforms, consider Slack on Ubuntu for professional team collaboration, Telegram on Ubuntu for lightweight messaging with privacy features, or Signal on Ubuntu for end-to-end encrypted communications. Moreover, each platform offers similar installation methods with .deb packages, Snap, and Flatpak options.